Brothers and Sisters,
A warm greetings to everyone during this Lenten season from the land Down Under!
I arrived in Sydney last Thursday night to visit my family (five of my six sisters are living around NSW) and also attend the first ARAP Conference on Saturday, March 22, 2008. I was told by Sis Yolly Gacho, ARAP Regional Director, that 50 of our brethren, from 4 states of Australia, had already confirmed their attendance for tomorrow’s event. I am truly looking forward to meeting all of them and I am positive that the conference will be a fruitful and successfull one.
This morning, Good Friday, March 21, 2008, my family went to the Schoenstatt Shrine of Mulgoa, dedicated to Our Mother Thrice Admirable Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt. They have a very beautiful and picturesque Stations of the Cross which allows visitors to walk thru a bushland. While we were saying our prayers and doing the Stations, I received a text message from brod Ronnie Deveza of Pi. It stated, ” Today we also commemorate how Simon helped Christ carry His Cross. Many of us in APO are like Simon when we help other people in their crosses in the course of practicing LFS. May this day inspire us to do more. Thank you very much, brother for being a Simon. God bless.”
The timing was uncanny when I received the above text since we were approaching the 5th Station, “Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus carry his Cross”. I want to further share with you the reflections for the said station that we read.
“As a child, sometimes I see people who need my help. Sometimes I pretend not to hear when my parents call me. I disappear when I know others could use my help. As an adult, sometimes I try to do as little as I can and still get by. Others might need my help, but I ignore their needs. Even when I’m asked to help, I sometimes claim to be too busy.”
The message and readings above went straight to my heart. It made me feel weak. Suddenly I realized that all the services I had done in my lifetime was not enough. I could have done more. As an APO we had sworn to a life of service. Service is what makes our organization strong, whole and complete. It is our binding force and common denominator. Show me a good service project and I will show you a sea of APO brods and sis striving to support it.
However, how many times have we turned a deaf ear to people who needs our help? How many times have we comfortably stayed in the sidelines then participate in a very worthwhile APO service project amidst a lame excuse of being “too busy”? I am guilty as you are, far too many times!
Thank you brod Ronnie for the very timely message and we wish you good luck and a speedy recovery for your upcoming heart procedure on Monday. As we greet each other Happy Easter this coming Sunday, I would like to encourage everyone to support our ongoing national service projects.
Last Tuesday, March 18th, I signed a Memorandum Of Agreement (MOA), in behalf of APO Phils. Inc., with brod Emilio “Mel” Gonzales of ETA, signing in behalf of the Librado I. Ureta Foundation (LIUF), for the creation of the Global Gift Giving Program for the benefit of the construction of our very own APO building to be called Ureta Center. The Center will house in the future our NAO and Executive Offices, APO Museum, meeting rooms and possibly an APO hostel. LIUF’s tasks under the MOA will be to spearhead the promotion and solicitation of donations for the Global Gift Giving Program. Proceeds of the donations will be deposited in an APO Phils. Inc. bank sub-account to be controlled jointly by an officer from LIUF and APO Phils. Inc. National President or the NED. During the launching of this program last Tuesday, almost PHP2million pledges were made by the attendees. Target is PHP10million pledges initially and I believe we will be able to hit this before the end of this year. Let us all pitch in and support this project.
We had been encouraging all Collegiate Chapters and Alumni Associations to adopt at least one Gawad Kalinga site in their area. Our MOA with Gawad Kalinga committed APO’s national membership’s support of manpower to help build housing for our homeless countrymen. We even had a symbolic exchange of “Paddle with Shovel” in Araneta Center last year with GK’s Tony Meloto. We had included in the current APO Pledge Program (APP) the requirement of performing 40 community service hours before a pledge is accepted as a member. These hours can be spent with either the BSP/GSP, PNRC or Gawad Kalinga. We have more than 500 Collegiate Chapters and AA’s nationwide, we can make a big difference if everyone will participate. For more details on how to help, please contact National Coordinator for Kalinga ng APO, brod June Adriatico at his email june_adriatico@yahoo.com or thru his cell 0918-906-3363.
We had relaunched and reinvigorated the campaign for the YES for PEACE (YFP) movement by the active participation of your organization. Brod Ernie Alcanzare, the lead organizer of YFP, recently retired as our NED to manage the movement full time. We had written to all of our nation’s congressmen and senators asking for their support. We will follow this up with letters to all provincial governors and city/municipal mayors across the nation. All these letters are co-signed by your National President under our APO Letterhead. If you have not done so yet, turn in your signed YFP questionnaire and be a part of the Advocates of Peace and Order (APO) or even better ask your family and friends to sign one too. You can call our NAO for more details on how to get a form.
I would also like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who participated in the last Nationwide Simutaneous Blood Letting Project last Saturday, March 15th. Chapters and Alumni Associations from Isabela to Zamboanga had their blood letting projects in cooperation with their local PNRC. I was in Iligan City that Saturday (on our way to the first APO Conference of Lanao in Marawi city) and witnessed the blood letting project of ILNAPOP in their town plaza. Nationwide project was a success but it was a classic example of we as an oranization could have done more. The Red Cross can use all the help we can give.
There are more worthy projects that each brethren can support, however, we are only asking you to give your utmost best to make the above mentioned projects a success.
The true meaning of Easter, thru its underlying messages of sacrifice, strength and love, should not be forgotten. Good Friday offers the perfect example of love and sacrifice, while Easter Sunday shows how love triumphs.
Happy Easter Alpha Phi Omega!
Brod Magleo V. Adriano (Eta ’69)
National President, DY 2007-2009
Comments