Saturday, February 8, 2014 marks the first death anniversary of our late Past District Governor (PDG) Salvador “Doring” Labis Caragos.
Past District Governor (PDG) Salvador “Doring” Labis Caragos
PDG Doring was admitted to Rotary International on July, 1971 at the RC of Iligan with Pafs Mejia as his sponsor. He stayed five years with RC-Iligan but spent the next 38 in RC Cagayan de Oro, earning an unprecedented 40 years of perfect attendance (including Iligan) and over 200 plaques of merit among them, Outstanding Rotarian, Most Active Rotarian and Most Cooperative Rotarian. In RY 1997-1998, he celebrated his silver jubilee as the Top Rotarian in District 3870.
In his 42 years with Rotary International, PDG Doring attained significant milestones which his fellow Rotarians in District 3870 would be hard put to match: 35 years chairmanship/directorship for both club and district in the four avenues of service (as Treasurer, Vice President, President, GGR, Discon Chair, Paul Harris Fellow and Bulletin Editor, including 37 years as a contributor to the Club Bulletin.
PDG Doring with Junior Chamber CDO
Among his significant innovations were organizing the two-day 1st Youth Congress for 300 student leaders, introduced SALT (Slope Agricultural Land Technology) and organized RC-North during his club president incumbency. During this time he also attended almost all Interclub, DISTASS and DISCON conferences as far as Cebu, Iloilo and Zamboanga.
He was also active in the international fellowship, traveling extensively around the world to join the 1994 sister club visit to Pusan Dong Rae Rotary Club in Busan and Seoul with Rotarians and Anns, 1994 International Convention in Nice, France and 1995 in Indianapolis, USA; 2 ASEAN Institutes in Manila, 1996 ASEAN Conference in Bangkok and the International Assembly in Anaheim, California. He joined the Golden Anniversary of the Rotary Foundation in its 50th Year Celebration in Los Angeles, USA in 1997.
PDG Doring with PDG Tinnex and PP Manny Aliñabon distribute relief goods at Calaanan.
Besides his RI trips, PDG Doring was also an extensive traveler during his lifetime, visiting Hong Kong, France, England, Italy, Monaco, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, USA, Mexico and Japan.
During his incumbency as District Governor, he was declared as one of 38 outstanding district governors out of 530 during the RC International Convention attended by 25,000 delegates in Indianapolis, USA in 1998, personally receiving his Presidential Citation from then RI Pres. Glenn Kinross. He was also recognized by RI on the same year for his Membership Development and Extension in RI District 3870, and garnered 46 International Awards for District 3870.
PDG Doring delivers Rotary Information during RC CDO meeting at VIP Hotel.
And he never failed to pass up an opportunity to pass on to other district governors what he learned.
“PDG Doring has always been supportive of me. He would always tell me to aspire to
be president of our club, “ said RCCDO PP and District 38700 Governor Elect Manuel U. Along.
“When I became president-elect, he told me I have his support. After my first meeting as club president, he congratulated for handling the meeting well. When I was selected as District Governor Nominee Designate, he called me and said he will support me and that I could go to him for advice.”
“I admire PDG Doring,” recalls PDG Bing Juarez of the RC of CdO (East Urban). “He lived up to the expectations of how a district governor should carry himself. He and Linda were very supportive of my govenorship. He was the one who charged the officers of my club in RY 2009-2010, and he did it very well, emphasizing the object and mottos of RI.”
The ever helpful and available Doring is the constant thread that runs through the collective memories of his fellow Rotarians at RC CDO.
“When we hosted the Discon and we had a very wonderful relationship among our team which included myself as Convention Director, PP Joe Gonzaga as President and my late dad PDG Dante Sarraga as aide of the RI Rep. Dr. Ki Yuon,” recalls PP Chito Sarraga. “During my own incumbency as president, he was always present to help with advice whenever I needed it.”
“He was like a father to me as he was one of the senior members who cultivated the spirit of Rotary within me,” said PP Ian Mark Nacaya. “Membership development was his forte through which he spent his decades of service to the club by inspiring new and old members alike with the kind of examples he left exemplified with a mark of excellence and dedication to RI.”
Ironically, despite his constant presence and helping hand to both officers and members of RI, not many of his fellow Rotarians and friends were aware of his extraordinary life and times.
PDG Doring was born February 20, 1937 in Cebu City. He hails from the Ilustrado Abellanosa-Labis clan of Pardo, Cebu where his great grandfather Cabeza Juan donated a large tract of land for the historic El Pardo church which today is a tourist destination. Since they lived next door, his mother encouraged him to serve the church as a bell ringer, altar boy, catechist and the apostle James during Lenten season plays.
Youngest of three surviving children, he was only four years old when the Second World War broke. When his father died during the war, Doring grew up doing odd jobs to augment the family income like selling newspapers, shining shoes and raising hogs, goats and chickens to support his college education.
He was graduated with an Associate in Arts degree in Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Banking and Finance on March, 1959 at the University of the Visayas. The school’s graduation speaker was Pres. Ramon Magsaysay, who perished in the plane crash on the way home to Manila.
He was active in the Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC) where he attended the Platoon Leader Course, Camp Lapulapu, Cebu City; Army Extension Course, Fort William McKinley eventually being commissioned coincidentally on the same month as his graduation (March 1959), as a reserve officer with the rank of second lieutenant in the Philippine Army
He was elected a councilor in the barrio of Pardo, Cebu City where he served from 1962-1965.
Doring married Rosalinda Neri-Marfori Picardal of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. They are blessed with four children: Melanie, CPA with 3 daughters married to Raymund Talimio, Jr. CPA of Cotabato; Kerwin Salvador, married to Odette Leh, PhD Management; Stephanie, ROTEX to Argentina, CEO Syntactics Inc. and Leilani, MD married to Deaver Merin, MD. They have nine grandchildren.
PDG Doring with Family
Among the numerous awards he received during his lifetime, Doring said he treasures most the Model Family Award which was bestowed on them by Barangay Kauswagan in 2007.
An active sportsman, Doring engaged in various sports including tennis, aikido martial arts, bowling and was a golfer for 25 years.
In his professional career, he served with three banks: FIBC, Insular Bank of Asia and America (IBAA) which was later absorbed by the Philippine Commercial and Industrial Bank (PCIB), and retired as senior manager in 1988 after serving for 27 years. While in Iligan where the family stayed for five years, he founded the St. Therese School with wife Linda in 1971.
PDG Doring with his wife Linda and latest apo.
After his retirement, together with his wife Linda, he opened Rosalinda’s Pawnshop and Jewellery in Cagayan de Oro, with branches in Agora and Cogon markets. This was later expanded with the House of Golconda, makers of Fine Jewellery which marked its silver anniversary recently. He also served as vice president, board member and managing consultant of South Bank, Inc. a locally based rural bank.
Prior to joining Rotary International where he attained his highest recognition, Doring already excelled with REACT Philippines (Regional Emergency Assistance Communication Team) where he was cited with as one of the 1992 National Ten Outstanding Reactors in the Phils. (TORY) Award; Outstanding REACTOR of the club and region, most outstanding group chief and outstanding region chief, covering Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur.
His “Clean Up The World” project, a tie-up with Australia for CDO and Region X earned him the National Project Award and Distinguished Service Award presented by Malacañang, for Australia’s International Award.
Doring was also active and served with distinction as officer and member of various civic organizations, among them: Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen in the Philippines (BCBP) West Cagayan de Oro Chapter; Cebu Jaycees. Christian Family Movement, Cursillos in Christianity, Iligan Golf and Country Club, Iligan Chamber of Commerce; Community Chest and Council of Iligan and Lanao del Norte, RER Tennis Club, San Vicente Homeowners Association of Subangdaku, Madaue City, Cebu; Sacred Heart Homeowners Association, RER Subdivision, Kauswagan, CDO; Iligan and Oro Bankers Associations; Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. (Oro Chamber), Cagayan de Oro City Development Council during the term of Sen. Nene Pimentel; Cagayan de Oro River Authority (CORDA) under Councilor Tinnex Jaraula; and the Young Men Christian Associations of Cagayan de Oro and Cebu.
Hasta la vista amigo! Vaya con Dios para siempre!