JEDDAH, 29 October — The Alpha Phi Omega (APO) National Council in Manila has stepped into a dispute between two alumni associations in Riyadh, telling the new group to go slow and follow the fraternity’s rules first.
Rodrigo Mapoy, APO vice president for alumni affairs, said reminded the organizers of the new association called Central Region Unified Chapter, or APOCRUC, that “the creation or installation of any alumni associations shall first be referred to the National Council for approval and proper recognition.”
“This is to avoid conflicts between or among alumni associations already installed and recognized in the same area which illicit problems on boundaries or territorial jurisdictions,” said Mapoy in a memorandum to APOCRUC officials.
Mapoy’s letter was dated Oct. 26, the same day the new group held its induction ceremony at the Philippine Consulate.
The formation of the new chapter came under opposition from the APO Riyadh Alumni Association (APORAA), which filed a protest with their national council in Manila.
A Philippine Embassy official, Consuil Gary Domingo, got dragged into the controversy, with APORAA blaming him for abetting the ‘divisive” formation of the new group. Domingo, who had been an adviser of the old association as well as godfather of the “breakaway” group, had denied playing a key role in APOCRUC’s formation.
He said his only role was to help publicize the group’s induction ceremonies.
APORAA, however, maintained that he had been actively involved in undermining the group.
APOCRUC’s response
An official of APOCRUC, in a letter to Arab News, said it was not unfair to blame Domingo. “APOCRUC was created by its own members, not by any particular Embassy official. Our founding president, Bro. Virgilio “Boggs” Bolor, was certainly a guiding figure in our creation, but APOCRUC has many founding brothers and sisters with their own minds and convictions — over fifty, in fact,” said the letter signed by Rouel T. Bustargo, the group’s auditor.
“Even if the Consul and Bro. Boggs were to suddenly exit today from the Kingdom, APOCRUC will remain and prosper,” Bustargo said.
He also denied that he nomination of Domingo as honorary APO member was rejected by the National Council. He said he in fact personally accompanied Consul Domingo to the APO Headquarters in Manila to submit additional requirements for his nomination and to introduce him to APO national officials.
He said Domingo’s nomination was even endorsed by one national official and that only the formalities need to be completed.
Bustarga accused Dr. Raymond Alipit, APORAA’s current president, of taking the matter personally against Domingo and Bolor.
“APOCRUC is following standard procedures as laid down in the constitution and by-laws of the National APO organization,…” said Bustarga, who has apparently not seen the National Council’s memorandum.
Bustarga called on APORAA leaders to accept the fact that there are many who want to join the new group for certain reasons.
He said one is “generational” — many of APOCRUC’s members joined the fraternity in the 80s and 90s while Alipit and many APORAA members are “old guard” from the batches of the 60s and 70s. “We respect their age but they have really failed to catch the pulse of the young,” said Bustarga.
He also cited “geographic and socio-economic” reasons, noting that APOCRUC’s “backbone” are the lowly paid earners and are from far-flung places of the Central Region, the Industrial Cities or frequent Bath’a. “APORAA seems to cater more to the established, inner-Riyadh professional. It also cannot seem to overcome its pride,” the letter added.
Bustarga also twitted those “few of you left” in APORAA for their “obsessive fear of multiple chapters,” noting that even in some cities and provinces at home, there are multiple APO chapters. He went on to call for “unity and support to each other” to “forget the RAA and the CRUC” and “remember that we are all APO.”
