It was around February when the idea of building an APO Learning Center in Angono came into view. The idea, which was then taken quite 'offensively' or shall I say 'unseriously', (sorry for the lack of a better term) by some members of the APO Ang-Alas, was presented by our then newly elected president Brod Philip Arpilleda. I don't think I have the liberty to tell you the juicy and cheesy details of that meeting but all I can say was that the said idea was initially shelved and was taken for granted.
Come April, the association had its annual activity for the Lenten week (Alay tubig) which was able to raise meager funds for the group. And despite the effort of the officers to plan out the year with several projects to conduct, the lack of interest of most of the members coupled with the active members' own personal matters, hindered the group to even meet about another project.
It was Brod. Ryan Mananquil who actually encouraged the active members to give the APOLC idea another thought. At first, we doubted that we'd be able to pull it off in time. It was already early May with a very tiny budget to start with. Not to mention that there were only about 8 of us (Philip, Ryan, Avon, Rhea, Mel, Zoraida, Nancy, Tani) who regularly attended meetings. The rest comes and goes but we werent sure of how committed they were or will be if we started this. But finally, when we decided to put our foot down and pledged our individual support, the APO fire in us just sparked and the idea slowly became a reality.
Brod Philip then invited Brod Joey Policarpio of SAPOC, the founder of APOLC Cainta to enlighten us about the project. The meeting was not only an eye-opener for us but was also a reality check. After the meeting we knew then that this was something big and we needed to work on it seriously.
We then tried to invite other members of the alum assoc to step out and join us in beginning the project and slowly our number began to grow. More brods and sis (Neil, Shiely, Pam, Omar, April, Jeff, Jeri and others) came in to chip in their support. The Associates (Dinky, Ariel, Willy, Doc Abel, Dado, Felipe, and Dennis) also pledged and gave their contributions to the project. But it was still the core group who fervently did the leg work. Brod Philip enlisted the support of Sis Pam in asking the PNP for solicitations. It was Sis Pam's boss who asked for a formal proposal of the project as a requirement for the funding. I then went on writing a detailed project proposal which was submitted to Sis pam's boss. The said document together with a formal letter patterned after the APOLC Cainta letter was also used to solicit to different brods and sis from here and abroad.
Come June, we were able to raise a sum of money for the construction of the class room. By early july, we were already able to gather enough school materials and design the classroom fit for use. We decided to hold the inauguration and the opening of classes on the 3rd Monday of July which was July 19, 2010. It was a good event attended by Vice Mayor Patrick Rubin and Councilor Januver Tiamson. It was a joyous occasion for the group, a moment that everybody in the group will cherish forever.
But now, the real work begins. The reality now is that APOLC Angono is not just a single effort or an annual service that everyone's used to but it is now a continuing endeavor for all of us. The APOLC that we love is not just a physical structure for us, it is the epitome of our APOhood. A reminder of what Alpha Phi Omega stands for – Leadership, Friendship and Service. Indeed, the APOLC in Angono is an everlasting achievement that we can all be proud of.
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