APC Family Gathering

By Lorely Secuya and Jessica Gumba

Christmas is the longest holiday break of the year and we took advantage of that by gathering in APC Bendum.

Regardless of our religious beliefs, we have gathered to celebrate the presence of each other and being part of one big family, the APC family.

The staffs from Manila and Malaybalay travelled for hours to be in Bendum. The teachers from extension schools from the neighbouring villages travelled through the rain riding motorcycles just to be with us in this celebration. As one family, we gathered in the dugo of the Adagi Balay to celebrate. As new members of this family, we looked forward to meeting the others, especially the staffs from Manila whom we saw for the first time. Our visitors from NAPOCOR (National Power Corporation) also joined in our celebration.

We shared simple yet delicious meals cooked by Grace Duterte, one of the ESSC staff. ESSC staff Marzon Limbago and APC-Bendum teacher Sarah Berdesola served as the masters of ceremony for Christmas celebration. We had group presentations and in our team, we presented a song written in the local dialect entitled “Nauma sa Pasko” which means a time for Christmas.

We also played games, spearheaded by APC Bendum Teacher James Timbangan, which was very interesting because it was related to the history and culture of the Pulangiyen people. We had “disco” but different from the usual disco that we observe from the cities. The teachers performed their dances accompanied by tambol and we gleefully joined in the dance floor. We ended the night bringing the joy and big smile in our faces because we had a great and unforgettable celebration.

Photo caption: The APC teachers and staff gathered in Adagi Balay.