JEDDAH, 22 May 2005 — Call it a lucky year for Filipino toastmasters in the Kingdom.
Benchito Guerra, an accountant and one of the pioneer toastmasters in Jeddah, is now governor of Division G, which currently has two areas — Area 24 and 11 — under its wings.
Guerra will succeed Abdul Rouf Al-Mukhthar, who held the post since the division was created last year.
Elected governor of Area 24 was Nilo T. Lucena, a mechanical engineer and past president of the PSME-WRSA Toastmasters Club of Jeddah. He will succeed Jose Poovathinkal of HOPE Toastmasters as area governor.
Danilo Abenes, another accountant, will succeed Mustafa Ay as governor of Area 11.
Area 24 is composed of Jeddah Toastmasters Club, Hope Toastmasters Club and PSME-WRSA Toastmasters Club. Area 11 is composed of the Yanbu-based Sharm Toastmasters Club and the Jeddah-based Abdul Latif Jameel Talkmasters Club, Pace Toastmasters Club, and Tanglaw Toastmasters Club.
Guerra, Abenes and Mustafa Ay all belong to Tanglaw, the first Toastmasters club to be organized in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia.
Even Area 5, which was under Division G until early this month, has also elected a Filipino as its new governor. Ron Jacobe, an accountant and a champion in the district-level international speech contest, will succeed Zaheer Uddin Ahmad.
Area 5 was transferred to another division in a realignment move approved during the District 79 Annual Conference 2005 held in Amman on May 12 and 13, said incumbent Tanglaw Club President Dan Factoran.
Area 5, which groups the Riyadh-based Himalayan Toastmasters Club, NAJD Toastmasters Club and PICPA Toastmasters Club of Riyadh, has been placed under a division composed of areas also in the national capital.
Filipinos make up roughly 20 percent of the growing Toastmasters movement in the Kingdom, with Indians accounting for more than 50 percent and the rest are of various nationalities.
The past two years, however, saw an increasing number of Saudis joining the California-based international movement, which now has 200,000 members in more than 10,000 clubs in 90 countries.
