Rotary Club of Cebu Gloria Maris Strengthens MSGC for Argao Rehab Patients' Hope

At Humabon Hall, a venue humming with purpose, a new guardian for the vulnerable took her oath, embodying Rotary’s resolve to serve lives in quiet recovery.

On December 10, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., Cebu Parklane Hotel's elegant ballroom swelled with determination. The Multi-Sector Governance Council (MSGC) of the Department of Health (DOH) Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Argao convened, uniting partners to fortify governance, services, and patient care. Rotary Club of Cebu Gloria Maris (RCCGM) shone through Secretary Dorothy Borces, formally inducted as a council member, pledging collaboration across key committees: Strategy and Assessment, Spiritual Education, Research, Training, and Capacity Development.

The morning unfolded like a symphony of commitment. Partners from government, NGOs, and faith groups gathered amid polished tables laden with Cebuano coffee and ensaymada. DOH officials outlined challenges at the Argao center—a serene hilltop haven 60 kilometers south of Cebu City, treating substance dependency with counseling, therapy, and vocational skills amid lush hills. Borces, poised in her crisp barong-inspired attire, rose for induction.

"This is personal," she shared post-oath. "Recovery isn't solitary; it's a village effort, and Rotary builds those bridges."

Flashback to RCCGM's spark: Months prior, club walks through Argao's outskirts revealed stories of shattered families, fueling their drive. Borces, with her background in community health forums, championed involvement. The MSGC role positions RCCGM to shape strategies—like data-driven assessments for better relapse prevention, spiritual programs blending faith and resilience, research into local addiction trends, and training for staff handling 200+ patients yearly.

Best Rotary Areas of Focus: Disease Prevention and Treatment (core—enhancing rehab services against addiction); Maternal and Child Health (supportive—stabilizing families via recovery); Community Economic Development (via training/reintegration for sustainable livelihoods). This project bolsters holistic care, weaving governance into healing—tracking outcomes, upskilling caregivers, nurturing spiritual fortitude for long-term sobriety.

"Recovery thrives when sectors unite—one council, countless comebacks."—Secretary Dorothy Borces

Why so close to RCCGM's heart? Gloria Maris, evoking pearl-like resilience amid Cebu's tempests, mirrors the center's quiet warriors—many mothers rebuilding for children. As an all-women club forged in sisterhood, RCCGM aches for those sidelined by addiction's shadow; past health outreaches like free clinics echo here, making Borces' role a heartfelt extension of their nurturing ethos.

The convening closed with action pledges: Quarterly reviews, joint workshops. Borces networked over lunch, eyes alight on pilot programs.

RCCGM's entry doesn't just add a voice—it amplifies healing, proving governance with heart transforms despair into dawn.

Partners departed energized, Argao's patients unknowingly closer to brighter paths. In Rotary's tapestry, this thread gleams—service elevated, lives reclaimed.