| | March 4th: Apl.de.ap was in Cagayan de Oro recently for the ground-breaking ceremony of a 2-story, 4 classroom schoolbuilding he donated for students of Balulang Elementary School.
Apldeap was warmly welcomed by students, teachers and residents at the Balulang Elementary School, which was damaged by “Sendong.” Hastily-made posters welcomed the Fil-Am international rapper to their school, while “student-disaster survivors” sang “The Power of your Love,” which put everyone in a reflective mood.
“Thank you for the warm welcome you've given me. I was touched by your song,” Apl.de.ap said in his message to the students. “Continue to dream... study hard. I was once like you. I was adopted when I was a child. Continue dreaming,” he told the students.
Balulang Elementary School sustained major damage due to Sendong's wrath. Nine of its students remain missing and presumed dead while another one was recovered. The school was submerged in six-feet deep floodwaters during the deluge last December. After the simple ground-breaking rite, Apl.de.ap gamely accepted the crowd's request for him to rap a sample of his hip-hop composition. The audience made up mostly of survivors swayed and joined Apl in his rendition of “Bebot.”
Apl.de.ap together with NCAF and PBSP, spearheads the “We Can Be Anything” Education Advocacy Campaign that helps marginalized students, youths and communities. Before leaving Cagayan de Oro on a barrowed private jet, Apl.de.ap made a wish: That is, to come back and inaugurate the school building he donated to students of the Balulang Elementary School.
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