Rotary Iloilo South dances toward a polio-free world

One step. One dance. One world free from polio.

At Marlu Asian Restaurant in Iloilo’s Tiro Building, a field of red shirts and black pants moved in unison beneath the sweep of a drone. The choreography was energetic and joyful, but its message carried global weight: protecting every child from polio.

The Rotary Club of Iloilo South, District 3850, gathered 50 Rotarians, health care professionals, community advocates, and pharmaceutical and medical industry partners for its three-hour End Polio and Public Image Activity on July 27, 2026. Club president Anne Tacogdoy joined campaign lead Dr. Rollin Tabuena in bringing the varied group together around a shared public health mission.

Fellowship and wellness shaped the atmosphere, while the familiar red-and-black palette of Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign created a striking visual identity. The gathering showed how advocacy could move beyond lectures and posters, inviting people to participate physically and share the message with a wider audience.

At the center of the event was an End Polio-themed Zumba performance led by instructor Francis Zapanta Jr. Dr. Rollin Tabuena and Dr. Ma. Daisy Tabuena, leaders of the Dancing Doctors of Iloilo, brought a spirited sense of purpose to the floor as participants followed their pace.

From above, the synchronized formation became the day’s defining image. Romeo Tanutan Jr. orchestrated the drone shoot, turning the dancers’ coordinated steps into a visual expression of collective action. The resulting aerial video was designed to carry the campaign beyond the venue and into digital spaces where a new generation could engage with Rotary’s work.

That work has deep roots in the Philippines. Rotary began its fight against polio in 1979 with a project to immunize 6 million Filipino children. It later became a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which has helped reduce worldwide polio cases by 99.9%.

The Iloilo gathering translated that decadeslong campaign into something immediate and local. Polio is preventable through vaccination, but sustained awareness, immunization and surveillance remain essential until transmission is stopped everywhere.

Medical representatives and corporate partners provided event coverage and logistical assistance. Their support underscored the value of cooperation among civic organizations, health professionals and private institutions when confronting public health challenges.

The event also strengthened Rotary’s public presence by presenting service as active, accessible and contemporary. Dance became both an invitation and a statement: advocacy can be serious without feeling distant, and community action can begin with something as simple as moving together.

What lingered after the music was not merely the image of a crowd in formation. It was the sense of a community aligned around unfinished work — each step carrying the promise of a world where polio no longer has a place.