It all started during the Sinulog in Cebu City, an annual festivity held in honor of Pit Senior on January 15, 1995 when the incumbent National President, Kuya David “Boy” S. Odilao, Jr., Prodded Kuya Roger Lim and Kuya Ed de Veyra to organize an Eagle Club in Cagayan de Oro City.
At first the idea did not really kindle fire in us, and for a couple of weeks we waited for the arrival of some reading materials about eagleism and occasionally on how to go about organizing a club among individuals who have not heard about the organization. One day Kuya Roger Lim was surprised to receive a call from Kuya Jun Chan, NBI-NEMRO Regional Director, who informed Kuya Roger Lim that he was also requested lately by Kuya “Boy” Odilao Jr. to coordinate with Kuya Roger Lim and Kuya Ed de Veyra in organizing the Cagayan de Oro Eagles Club. Thus, the three of them became a Triumvirate of the project. They decided to meet one evening at the Philtown Hotel and Restaurant to discuss and formulate they’re action plan. The days following the meeting, the Triumvirate was out on the road proselytizing for prospective members armed only with the primer “What I ought to know as an Eagle”. Working under pressure from the National President to get organized and chartered before end of February 1995, they simply have to double their efforts and time to beat the deadline.
Assured of about thirty membership, an Organizational meeting was held in a small cozy conference room at Philtown Hotel and Restaurant on February 16, 1995. All the jolly civic-minded individuals who attended the meeting filled up their membership applications and made initial payments of the required membership fees, and elected their set of officers. At last! The Club was organized and ready for affiliation with The Fraternal Order of Eagles (Philippine Eagles) and chartering by the end of February 1995. The information was relayed to the National President the following day February 17, 1995. He was glad to hear the news and told them to prepare for the charter-grant and induction in the afternoon of February 18, 1995 as he was coming over with the Secretaty-General, Kuya Ceasar Dumogho for the affair. They requested the National President to defer their schedule to the end of February in order to give them enough breathing time to prepare for the occasion but to no avail. His timetable of activities for the calendar year has already been programmed.
With little time left they notified the other members to the Philtown Hotel and Restaurant in their formal attire at 5:00 P.M. on February 18, 1995 for the Orientation Seminar and Induction Ceremonies. About twenty-four of them were able to attend while the rest did not make it because they could not be contacted for lack of time. The program went on smoothly, the charter was presented to our club, and the elected officers and members of the club were formally inducted by no less than the Incumbent National President, Kuya “Boy” Odilao Jr. assisted by the Secretary-General, Kuya Ceasar Dumogho. The affair was a success, notwithstanding, some insignificant shortcomings. It was indeed an affair to remember for all of them who were present.
The following club President who followed were Kuya Roger J. Lim (1995), Kuya Moises G. Isma, Jr. (1996), Kuya Ceasar M. Ybañez (1997), Kuya Sancho K. Chan, Jr. (1998), Kuya Henry Clyde C. Abbott (1999), Kuya Ferdinand A. Bernasor (2000), Kuya Roland R. Valencia (2001), Kuya Narcissius S. Tan (2002-2003), Kuya Edgardo B. De Veyra (2004), Kuya Alex Adeva (2005), Kuya Gilbert B. Gille (2006), Kuya Erlquin C. Lim (2007), and Kuya Saniel L. Raypon (2008).
The Cagayan de Oro Eagles Club produces four National Presidents, Kuya Sancho K. Chan, Jr. in 1996, Kuya Moises G. Isma, Jr. in 1998, Kuya Cesar M. Ybanez in 2002-2003 and Kuya Gilbert B. Gille in 2007.
The brief history of our club up to this point in time would not be completed without paying due tribute to our National Past President Kuya “Boy” Odilao, Jr. who has been more than a surrogate parent to our club, unfailing in concern, care and support from his conception to his present fast-tracked early adolescence, with two siblings Eagles Club the Iligan Eagles Club in Iligan City and Ozamis Eagles Club in Ozamis City to look after.
