Good evening! Please allow me to welcome you all to the APO Philippines’ Testimonial Dinner for all APO winners in the last May 10, 2010 elections. Join me in congratulating the 158 brothers and sisters who won in the last elections, led by no less than His Excellency Vice-President Jejomar C. Binay. Let us all give them a big round of applause!
US President John F. Kennedy made the following quote famous as he assumed responsibility for the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba in April of 1961. “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan” Although the quote was made by President Kennedy as an aftermath of an embarrassing defeat, it nevertheless emphasized the very natural and poignant human character…everybody loves a winner.
Tonight, we will be giving recognitions to deserving brothers and sisters who had risked not only their resources but also spent their precious time and energy in pursuing their individual dreams. More importantly, these brethren had followed the last of our fraternity’s Four Folds of Service, namely: “Service to the nation as a fully participating citizen.” Tonight we will also be celebrating the triumph of Leadership, Friendship and Service.
Today, our beloved Alpha Phi Omega had taken the center stage as the premium political volunteer group of our country. Having campaigned and helped won the candidacy of the second most powerful government position in our republic; we earned the respect and became the erstwhile envy of every collegiate and professional organization across the nation.
Today, we have a Vice President who has no qualms in announcing to the world that he is a proud member of Alpha Phi Omega. Proudly wearing our seal on television and openly thanking our fraternity in all his interviews. I am also sure that the rest of our APO winning candidates feel the same and are equally proud of their fraternal affiliation. My senior ETA Brod Jojo, if you are proud of being an APO, we are a hundredfold prouder to be your brothers and sisters.
A word of caution though, because of our organization’s newfound premier status in the nation’s political scene and the reinvigorated pride of every APO member, some people will get out of their way to besmirch our organization and try to pull us down. The stakes are higher now. A brother is the Vice President of the land, along with the 157 others that hold different elective offices. Let us instill strict discipline in our organization. Isang maliit na pagkakamali ng kapatid ay siguradong palalakihin sa media para lang ipahiya ang ating kapatiran at gayundin ang ating mahal na Bise Presidente at lahat ng mga nakaluklok na opisyal na mga kapatid. We have to be vigilant in policing our ranks and see to it that all our members follow the rules of our fraternal organization as well as the laws of the land. Magtulong-tulong tayo para patuloy nating mapagmalaki ang ating APOng minamahal.
Let us support our winning candidates by respecting and following the protocols of their offices. Huwag namang porke governor na si brod ay pipituhan mo na lang siya sa lobby ng kapitolyo. At magagalit ka kay mayor dahil hindi ka napansin o nakamayan. Let us respect the offices they are holding by restraining ourselves from soliciting donations, hounding them for help and demanding assistance simply because you “campaigned”, quote-unquote, for him.
We are a proud service organization. We had served a brother in need by helping him in his candidacy. We should not expect anything in return for this very noble deed. We campaigned for him because we believed in him and not just because he is an APO. Let us support them by getting out of their way and letting them do their jobs. Their mandated jobs as elected officials are already hard. They have their constituencies to serve. Let us not burden them further by our misplaced values of “utang na loob”. Pero huwag mag-alala mga kapatid, sigurado po ako, kay Bise-Presidente Binay…gaganda ang buhay ng APO.
I started my speech with a quote from President John F. Kennedy, allow me to end it with another one from him. And I quote “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them” unquote. Once again brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, let me welcome you to tonight’s historical Testimonial Dinner. Let us all sit back, relax and enjoy the evening.
Thank you.
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July 10, 2010, SMX Convention Center, MOA, Pasay City
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