EDITORIAL: Last in Asia

When JCI Manila was founded in 1947, it wasn’t out of prestige or recognition. In truth, there was nothing grand about it. No fanfare, no promises. Just a small group of young men, in a city still recovering from war, choosing to come together for something larger than themselves.

They likely didn’t know they were building the first Junior Chamber in Asia. What they knew was this: that leadership meant stepping up when others couldn’t, and staying behind when others left. That service came before titles. That action spoke louder than ambition.

JCI Manila became first not because it aimed to be but because it showed up when it mattered most.

And that’s the lesson we quietly carry with us today. To be first is not to race ahead, but to be the last to give up.
The last to ask what’s in it for me.
The last to walk away when others need someone to lean on.
The last to leave the room when there was still work to be done.
The last to take credit when success was shared.
The last to complain when things didn’t go their way.
The last to rest when others needed support.
The last to seek comfort when duty called.
The last to give up on a work that still mattered.
The last to be served but the first to serve.

It’s a lesson we quietly pass from one generation of Jaycees to the next: that leadership isn’t about getting ahead, it’s about holding the line when others fall back. It’s about choosing humility over recognition. Endurance over applause.

To be first, we must be willing to be last. Again and again, in all the ways that matter.

Today, as JCI Manila continues its work in a fast-moving world, we look back not just with pride, but with perspective. We are not defined by being the first. We are defined by what we continue to do when no one’s watching.

We are proud of our history. But we don’t wear it as a crown. We wear it as a quiet responsibility. To keep building, to keep listening, to keep serving.

May we always be remembered not just for where we started, but for how we stayed: Matatag. Tapat. At laging handang maging huli.