Leveraging the newly established Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between the Philippines and Singapore, the Pinnacle Club Secretariat visited Manila from March 15-18, 2022. The trip marked a significant step towards re-establishing in-person connections after a long period of travel restrictions.

On March 17th, the Secretariat had the honor of dining with key members of the Philippine Pinnacle Club Chapter, including host LG (Ret'd) William K. Hotchkiss III, VADM (Ret'd) Eduardo Santos, GEN (Ret'd) Alexander Yano, GEN (Ret'd) Eduardo Oban, GEN (Ret'd) Emmanuel Bautista, GEN (Ret'd) Hernando Iriberri, and BG (Ret'd) Rodante Joya. Representing the Secretariat were MG (Ret'd) Goh Yong Siang, COL (Ret'd) Goh Kong Yong, and Mr. Joel Tang.

The dinner meeting provided a valuable forum for exchanging ideas on the Club's future and discussing the recent COVID-19 developments in both countries. Members of the Philippine Chapter also shared their experiences in leading disaster relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Odette in the Southern Philippines in December 2021, particularly highlighting the work of LG (Ret'd) Hotchkiss.

Both the Secretariat and the Philippine Chapter expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming Pinnacle Club annual event, planned for later in the year in Hanoi and hosted by the Vietnam Chapter. This will be the first in-person event since the start of the pandemic over two years ago. The Philippine Chapter proposed a symposium to be held alongside the annual event, focusing on sharing experiences and fostering collaboration among chapters on disaster relief efforts.

In honor of founding patron President Fidel Ramos' 94th birthday on March 18th, the Pinnacle Club Secretariat sent a gift on behalf of all members, expressing well wishes and appreciation for his contributions.

The Secretariat looks forward to visiting other Pinnacle Club Chapters as travel restrictions ease and will be collaborating with the Vietnam Chapter in the coming months to organize the Hanoi event.