Hawaii AA to host 17th ACNA Biennial Convention, APO Centennial Celeb
APO Hawaii AA President Giovanni del Rosario (Beta Lambda, '93) received the symbolic convention key from Bro. Gaylord Arata (Iota Zeta, '90), President of Greater Washington APO that hosted the 16th APO ACNA Convention.
While APO members in North America are gathered in the Paradise of the Pacific, Hawaii will also host an APO Centennial Celebration that will welcome every Gold and Blue blood across the globe.
APO Hawaii AA contingency pose with the newly elected ACNA President, Sis Ving Adriatico.
Attending the 16th ACNA Convention in Seattle from Hawaii were Bro. Giovanni del Rosario, Bro. Melvin Calivoso, Bro. Cedito Domingo, Bro. Elmer Corotan, Sis Coy Blanco, Bro. Noel Blanco, Bro. Thom Pascual, and Bro. Raymund Liongson.
Bro. Thom was appointed as the new ACNA Treasurer by Sis Ving Adriatico, the newly elected ACNA President.
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Bro. Raymund will chair the next (17th) ACNA Biennial Convention and APO Centennial Celebration that will be held in Hawaii in 2025.
16th Biennial Convention
GWAPO hosts 2023 ACNA biennial confab; Sis Ving Adriatico takes leadership torch
Sis Felvic "Ving" Adriatico, newly elected ACNA President, DY 2024-2025
The Emerald City was the site of the 16th ACNA biennial convention with Greater Washington APO (GWAPO), hosting the national event. The convention was held on September 1-3 at the Double Tree Suites by Hilton at Southcenter in Seattle, Washington.
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At the convention, Sis Felvic "Ving" Adriatico (Theta Zeta, '88A) of APOAAGNY was elected the new ACNA President and will bear the leadership torch for the next two years, DY '24-'25.
Sis Ving served as ACNA's 2nd Vice President in 2022-2023. She was a three-time APOAAGNY APO of the Year awardee (2010, 2011, 2014) and a three-time Presidential Service Awardee [Philippines] (2018, 2021, 2023).
A graduate of the University of the Philippines-Tacloban and a Registered Nurse, she has under her belt impressive academic credentials: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and an Accredited Case Manager (ACM).
Lahaina wild fire summons Aloha Spirit; APO Hawaii volunteers to help prep donations for victims
A sprawling apocalyptic inferno that ravaged over two thousand structures in Lahaina, Maui will remain etched in people's minds forever. Fanned by dry strong winds, the fire gutted much of the town of Lahaina, killing over a hundred human lives, with over a thousand still unaccounted for, and several thousands more displaced to houselessness.
But the spirit of kokoa (helping one another) and aloha is what people in Hawaii do not run out of. The community waited no time and sprang up to comfort and give aid to the affected residents. Donations poured in.
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Apart from directly donating and contributing to disaster aid resources, some APO Hawaii alumni volunteered at the State Capitol to help haul and sort goods to be sent to the Lahaina fire victims. MORE
Blood Donation
Saving lives, a continuing service priority
Members of APO Hawaii eligible to donate blood queued by a mobile blood bank to have their blood drawn and donated to the Hawaii Blood Bank. MORE
Youth Support
APO Hawaii initiates school supplies drive
APO Hawaii gears up for its annual School Supplies Drive for the school year 2023-2024 and is making arrangements with Walmart-Kapolei to set up a collection by the store's entrance. All supplies collected will be turned over to Honowai Elementary School, a public elementary school in Waipahu where over 70 percent of its student population are identified to be coming from low-income families. The choice of a school recipient is based on the Hawaii Department of Education’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) list determined by the number of students receiving full- or reduced-price student meals.
APO Hawaii sends books to Philippine public schools
A dozen of balikbayan boxes packed with math, science, and literature books were collected and sent to different public schools in the Philippines. Donated by Nimitz Elementary School, a public school in Honolulu, the books were distributed in different barangay schools in Laoag City and Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte in coordination with the Department of Education. MORE
APO brods and sis sort and pack books to be sent to public schools in the Philippines.
A-Phi-O on historical play
APO Hawaii brothers and sisters were part of a historical play re-enacting the Filipino struggle for freedom as part of the celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence. Titled "KASARINLAN: A Journey to Independence," the play was produced, written, and directed by Brod Raymund Llanes Liongson (Beta Lambda, 1972) and was staged at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, Hawaii on June 11, 2023.
Service to the FilCom Center
Ever mindful, ever serving . . .
APO Hawaii members continue to live the cardinal virtue of service. Among the most common places where they render services is the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu -- the embodiment of the spirit of bayanihan. MORE
Filipino Fiesta '23
APO Hawaii Features "INAPOY kdpy"
This year's Filipino Fiesta, APO Hawaii featured "INAPOY kdpy" highlighting the various ways rice is prepared or cooked. To most Filipinos, a meal is not complete without rice. And yes, the lugaw, arroz caldo, goto, and champorado are excellent substitutes for the usual steamed rice.
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The focus of this year's effort was the building of the booth's facade -- a giant replication of the traditional Filipino earthen pot used before the era of the rice cooker. MORE