CODE-NGO Treasurer Felicitas Rixhon’s Closing Remarks at CODE-NGO 17th General Assembly

After serving in the CODE-NGO Board for two consecutive terms from 2007 to 2012, and as Treasurer from 2009-2012, Felicitas Rixhon delivered the Closing Remarks during the CODE-NGO 17th General Assembly. She expressed how she has enjoyed the challenge of being in the Board of the ‘biggest network of citizens’ organizations committed to help improve the lives of the common people’ and called for adhering to the Code of Conduct to differentiate itself from the suspected NGOs in the PDAF scam. Touched by CODE-NGO’s effort to help rebuild lives, she reiterated the power of collaboration in realizing a shared goal, especially in giving aid to the victims of Yolanda.

When I saw I was proposed to close this year’s general assembly, I was glad. Not everyone has an opportunity to formally say goodbye. As you now know, I reached the maximum term limit of a board member today. I rotated off the board a few minutes ago, when my successor was elected. Maybe the better word is step out, for I don’t see myself coming back to the board having reached the third age, the age of “wisdom” clearly manifested by my silver hair.

Please indulge me for a few minutes. I have enjoyed the challenge of being in the Board of the biggest network of citizens’ organizations that are bound by their commitment to help improve the lives of the common tao. Though we do diverse things, we are united by our purpose and the characteristic way we perform our functions, spelled out in the Code of Conduct that each network and the organizations that belong to it signs voluntarily. Have you done it lately and have you convinced your members to do so also? I hope you have. Adhering to that code is what distinguishes us from the others. And we need to assert this difference at this time, when all non-government organizations have become suspect because of the sin of the few. Remember PDAF!

Being a board member has also brought me to a better understanding of why the various sectors doing social development work need to share priorities and resources and to participate actively in the realization of a shared goal. The sum of all that we do is much greater than if we work singly. The way we gravitated towards each other to help our countrymen who became victims of typhoon Yolanda and the result of such a collaboration make that apparent. Those who have experience in dealing with calamities are willing tutors of those who have just embarked in the undertaking, those with available funds willingly hand their resources over to those whom they know can do the work better. And we don’t forget our own who despite suffering from the same fate as the people they serve continue to do their work. I was touched by the way Code-NGO reached out to them through the member networks and facilitated the release of funds to help them re-build their lives.

This is my way of saying I value what our network does and will continue to do. I hope you do too. Let us sustain the connection and work together to have a better Philippines.

Let me take this occasion to thank you all for being here; the staff who, as usual, labored hard to make us comfortable so we could focus on what we have to do; and the board members who directed the event from behind.

On a personal note, I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to enrich my life through my association with you. Good tidings everyone.