What makes it a model Alumni Association?

By Cyrus A. Natividad

There are more than one hundred fifty CPU Alumni Associations all over the world: Strong, Supportive, Sympathetic (SSS), and I´d say symbiotic. And if you’re finding the reason why it’s priceless to become a member of one of them, you have to find out how a senior organization get together, celebrate and feed each other (literally).

Wednesday is the scheduled regular weekly meeting and fellowship of the alumni of the CPU College of Agriculture Alumni Association of CPU at the Agri Fellowship House. The other day, we are invited again to lunch with them in their ‘hideout.’ The affair was no secret anyway because of the tarpaulin announcing a triple birthday celebration for CPU Alumni  Larry P. Nacionales, former DA Region 6 Director and President of the CPU Agriculture Alumni Association, Nestor Verdeflor and Luz Cordero.

The convergent place is a mini-farm near the entrance of the CPU Centennial Village in Aganan, Pavia, Iloilo. A modest hut in the center serves as pavilion and meeting place of this admirable alumni  association. All around are green and leafy vegetable patches; organic papaya, ampalaya, malunggay, and fruits — grown to be harvested and shared by everyone in the association. Guests cannot leave without bringing home some fruits and vegetables on their way out.

An organic luncheon was served after a short devotional (food for the soul) was shared by Rev. Francis Neil G. Jalando-on, CPU Communications Acting Director. There was an abundance of native dishes served with organic black rice, grilled pantat, dila sang baka, ampalaya salad; luscious mango, banana and pineapple; milky bibinka, lumpia and other native delicacies – cooked right there in the farm. Certainly, a real first ‘farm-to-table’ experience.

I say they are Strong – there were around 30 of members who responsibly attended the meeting – cum  birthday party. How can they be not strong at their 60´s with everything organic in their food list? That’s a real organic feast experience that we got there. They are Supportive – they do the extra mile for each other; everyone seemed to be lifted up by everybody whenever there is a problem. “One for all, all for one” is a theme that they adhere to. They are Sympathetic too. They help people in the field of agriculture; extending knowledge and technology to farmers.

We are looking forward to the bigger convergence in Bacolod City, when the Negros Chapter of the CPU Agriculture Alumni Association hosts the Grand Agriculture Alumni Homecoming at the Pavillon Hotel on October 20 to 21, 2017. See you there!