In 1956, Past District Governor Danding Romualdez introduced the idea of establishing extension of Rotary work in the Province of Cotabato. Rotarian Fred Ramos, Sr., Past President of the Rotary Club of Cotabato at that time, recalled that the Municipality of Midsayap was initially surveyed as possible community for a new Rotary Club. Then Governor Danding suggested that under the joint sponsorshi
p of the Rotary Clubs of Cotabato and Davao, a club would be established at Kidapawan. After a conscientious study of the locality, it was decided that a Rotary Club in Kidapawan would not prosper as well. The Rotary Club of Cotabato then surveyed another area for the establishment of a new club, this time in General Santos City, under the encouragement of Past District Governor Ito Tinio, who succeeded Danding Romualdez. In the survey report submitted, General Santos was described as: “A town specially blessed by nature with a wide expanse of plains of farm lands; with the Sarangani Bay, a storehouse of seafood on the foreground; and Mt. Matutum standing majestically on the background is endowed with all kinds of natural forest products. This community of about forty to fifty thousand inhabitants, enjoys peace and happiness with the comforts and accommodations present in the modern small city of four hotels, four show houses, churches, schools and facilities for land, water and air transportation.”
By mid-1957, the Rotary Club of Cotabato reached the decision that General Santos City would, and could sustain a Rotary Club. Thus, they began to actively search and invite prominent men in the city to attend regular club meetings in order to acquaint and interest them in the workings of a Rotary Club. According to Fred Ramos, he sought for ”the right person having the right ideas and the spirit of cooperation in the establishment of a civic club to carry out the ideal of service in General Santos.” The new club was originally named, “The Rotary Club of Sarangani.” However, according to the decision of the District Governor at the Institute held in Ozamis City on 24 November 1957, “the name Rotary Club of Sarangani runs counter to the provision of the By-Laws of Rotary International, to the effect that a Rotary Club must carry a name identical to its post office address.” Hence the change, to the name which it carries until today, THE ROTARY CLUB OF GENERAL SANTOS CITY.
