Day of Gratitude and Recognition at APC

Address by Pedro Walpole SJ, APC Executive Director

Good morning to all. Welcome and grateful that you could still come on the roads despite the continuing rains. It is deeply consoling to have you all here and valuing your children’s efforts to study while growing in experience, values and knowledge. Today you have received many letters of gratitude from your children and it is wonderful to have you as family celebrate this simple occasion at APC.

These children and youth have completed another semester and will soon complete the year. We trust they have learned not only according to the DepEd curriculum, but also the ways of their culture and respect for everyone so they can participate openly and creatively in community, and care for creation and the land that provides for them.

As I have said earlier, our mission here in APC is to care for the children and youth in a holistic way so that they feel they belong and can grow into loving people caring for their families, communities and lands, trusting in God’s loving mercy.

I want also to thank the teachers and administration in the school, including those from Mindagulos, Nabag-o and Nabawang K-3. We have 27 teachers, each one taking on important responsibilities with valued commitment. There are also behind the scenes: Fr. Gaby, Bridgit, Liza, and Nize who do so much work in the background.

I also want to thank with deep appreciation the Dalēpaan Kuya and Ate, and cooks, who do so much in daily support for the children and youth. These are the teachers coming from other communities who after a day in the school continue to nurture the children and youth in their studies and cultural integrity. There is much care and compassion in these small communities of the dalēpaan that contributes so much to the quality of education and life as these children grow. There is also the forest and farm teams that engage with the youth and at times workshops in BLS and the team working there all strengthening that sense of belonging and identity.

Also, a small word of appreciation for those who support us in this work, Partners for Better Futures, the JVR Foundation, different Jesuit organizations including Tanging Yaman Foundation, Jesuit Worldwide Learning (JWL) and a generous cohort of Filipino and international friends of APC.

May I thank you again for joining us and mutually recognizing the growth of our youth in community and the hope we share in building strong and resilient cultural communities, the sense of belonging we share with the land and life of our people. With much thanks!

The APC Day of Gratitude and Recognition (Aldaw hu Pagpasalamat daw Pagbantug) was held 13 February 2026.