A Legacy of Magis: Metrobank Foundation’s Chito Sobrepeña Honored with the Rotary Club of New Manila East’s Highest Distinction

For over two decades, Aniceto “Chito” Sobrepeña has been steering the Metrobank Foundation through some of the country’s most defining moments in public service, education, and civic recognition. On the cusp of his retirement, he was honored with the Magis of Rotary - Presidential Lifetime Distinction Award, the highest accolade of the Rotary Club of New Manila East (RCNME), concluding a chapter marked by visible, purposeful leadership that has left an enduring mark on the Philippine nation.

“There are leaders who build institutions,” reflected RCNME President Karlo Benjamin Nisce during the ceremony. “And there are those rare few like Mr. Chito Sobrepeña, who build trust, uplift lives, and quietly shape a better nation.”

Through the Metrobank Foundation’s longstanding partnership with RCNME, particularly under the Country’s Outstanding Police Officers in Service (COPS) Program chaired by Dir. Dave Buenviaje and founded by PDG Samuel Pagdilao, Mr. Sobrepeña has bridged civic recognition with institutional reform, proving that honoring excellence in public service can inspire entire generations. The COPS Program, under the Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos, remains one of the most respected platforms for honoring public service excellence, integrity and heroism within the country’s police force, with RCNME standing as a steadfast ally. 

As Mr. Sobrepeña prepares to retire, his influence resonates not merely within boardrooms or award ceremonies, but in professions, classrooms, communities, and homes across the archipelago, where countless lives have been uplifted by the Foundation’s initiatives.

“This year, the Rotary world celebrates The Magic of Rotary,” President Karlo Nisce continued. “But here in New Manila East, that magic takes on deeper meaning through Magis, when ordinary members do extraordinary things for others, and when leaders like Mr. Chito Sobrepeña uplift lives and institutions quietly, purposefully, and with lasting impact.”

The Magis of Rotary Presidential Lifetime Distinction Award represents more than ceremonial recognition. It is, as President Karlo Nisce affirmed, “a sincere expression of gratitude for a life of service, and a legacy that will continue to inspire us for years to come.”

To the Rotary Club of New Manila East, that partnership has always been more than formal. It has been personal. “Mr. Sobrepeña has been more than a partner to us,” President Nisce shared. “He has been a trusted friend, generous, visionary, and deeply committed to our shared mission of service above self. Through his support of the Country’s Outstanding Police Officers in Service (COPS) Program of the Rotary Club of New Manila East, he has shown us what it means to lead with faith, conviction, and a clear moral compass.” For those who have worked with him, it is his grace under pressure, steady demeanor, and belief in the power of good leadership that define his legacy. Where others see awards, he sees responsibility. Where some measure success in statistics, he measures it in lives changed.

In that spirit, RCNME’s Magis of Rotary Presidential Lifetime Distinction Award was more than ceremonial, it was deeply personal. It was a club’s sincere expression of gratitude to a leader who, with grace, faith, and purpose, has transformed recognition into a force for good.

“Mr. Sobrepeña reminds us that the real magic of Rotary unfolds when Magis becomes a way of life,” President Nisce concluded. “When doing more, giving more, and leading with integrity become the standard, not the exception.”

After decades spent honoring the country’s finest public servants, leaders, and heroes, Mr. Sobrepeña, so often the one conferring awards, stood at the receiving end of the highest award from a longtime project partner who has admired his work for years.

Written by: Rotary Club of New Manila East, Rotary International District 3780