Hi, Brods and Sis and Everyone
It was 1978. Brod Dr. Mike Maquiso was APO-Philippines national president. We held a dinner-dance at the Silahis hotel on Roxas Boulevard in Manila to launch The Alpha Phi Omega Foundation. The launch received a number of pledges, but there was no follow-up effort to collect donations.
In 1996, The Alpha Phi Omega Philippines International Foundation was set up. It was registered with the securities and exchange commission in 2002. I understand, out of the PhP100,000 pledged amount, some PhP27,000 was collected. Sis Atty. Gigi Sacay Clave is ensuring all paperwork and fees are up-to-date.
Also, in 1996, The Dr. Librado I. Ureta Foundation was established in North America. To date, we have US15,000 raised through membership and donations.
In 2006, Brods Gene Licauco and Art Libot visited the APO-Philippines national office in Cubao, Quezon City. They reported in November, during an APO-Central Valley of California-AA meeting at Brod Ben and Au Castro’s housewarming party in Tracy, California, we could use a bigger headquarters. Inquiry disclosed the next-door condominium unit was available for PhP3 Million. Buying it would double our space to roughly 100 square meters. Members of APO-CVC pledged to help raise the funds.
During a discussion, however, Brod Jimmy de Castro, then national president, expressed more interest in a house-and-lot. Jimmy said, if we rolled over the Cubao asset and combined it with the proceeds from the APO-CVC initiative, a PhP6 Million property could be bought.
At the APO-ACNA induction ceremony in January 2007 hosted by APO-AA-San Francisco and the Silicon Valley in Foster City, California, The Dr. Ureta Foundation also installed its new set of officers and directors, who held a meeting in support of the APO national office capital campaign.
During the APO-Philippines national convention in May 2007 in Tagaytay City, a delegation composed of Brod Mel S Gonzales Jr, president; Brother Jeff Schwartz, immediate past chairman of the board; and Brod Ben Castro, Sister Rosemary Riedy, Sis Dr. Belle Tumbokon, and Nancy Ruth C. Ureta, all directors, presented The Dr. Librado I. Ureta Center global gift-giving program before the APO-Philippines council of elders. The convention resulted in the formation of the Dr. Librado I. Ureta Center task force, which partnered The Dr. Ureta Foundation with The Alpha Phi Omega Philippines International Foundation with Mel and Gigi as co-chairs.
Since the convention and to-date, the task force has met in Metropolitan Manila with participants on overseas telephone calls. Incumbent National President Mel Adriano and National Executive Director Ernie Alcanzare, ex-officio members by virtue of their APO-Philippines positions, have shown great support by their regular attendance of the task force meetings.
After several postponement, the task force decided on March 18, 2008, the 103rd birthday of Brod Bado, as the official launch date of the program. The target is to raise PhP10 Million to build The Dr. Librado I. Ureta Center. The goal is to institutionalize a global gift-giving program to handle and safeguard expressions of generosity of brods and sis toward benefiting Filipino students, the source of APO members.
The above history is sketchy at best, mostly because of one reason: We have yet to understand and embrace the foundation concept.
Our ongoing series of articles is an attempt to detail the philosophy behind The Dr. Librado I. Ureta Center. It is a concept that evolved through time — from 1978 through our continuing learning of the APO-USA endowment fund model to the current effort of the Dr. Ureta task force.
Please read the articles. We will appreciate your support of the foundation effort, Filipino-style.
True to Alpha Phi Omega, may we always be,
Brod Mel S Gonzales Jr
APO-RP Eta Zodiac 1973D 04971 Life Member
APO-USA Gamma Beta 1984 792 182567 (Irwin H. Gerst Pledge Class) & 1985 10181 Life Member
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