Titled “Sakto!” this year’s ACP aims to develop sustainable involvement in Philippines’ socio-political situation, as well as promote appreciation of Filipino culture.

All classes on January 29 were canceled and replaced with “alternative classes.” Students get to sign up for the class of their choice, with options as varied as a field trip to Café Figaro, to participation on the noontime show Wowowee.

ACP is an annual event organized by the Sanggunian. It was cancelled on 2006, however, because of issues that it was ineffective.

Reviving ACP
According to Sanggu Vice President Monique Salcedo (IV AB Comm), Sanggu decided to bring back ACP after the Committee on Social Concern and External Affiliations conducted a survey. This survey was used to measure the general awareness and involvement of students in socio-political issues.

Results of the survey found moderate awareness, low involvement in socio-political issues, and a lack of awareness on sustainable efforts for social involvement.

“A lot of students know there are issues, but [they] don’t know how to participate in them, and they don’t know what the issues are talaga (really),” Salcedo said.

She also said that the need to revive ACP was also in line with Ateneo’s final theme for the sesquicentennial celebration, “Building the Nation.”

Take your pick
ACP was divided into four components—the social involvement fair, cultural immersion, political education workshop, and the benefit concert.

For the social involvement fair, Sanggu tied up with non-government orgs and Ateneo sector-based orgs to widen the students’ knowledge on volunteerism.

“[These orgs] can immerse the students in the work that they do. If you sign up for GK [Gawad Kalinga], they will bring [the students] to the building site, so they can experience what the organization does.”

The cultural immersion aimed to promote appreciation in traditional and contemporary Filipino culture. Students can sign up for field trips to Quiapo or Intramuros, or take classes involving aspects of contemporary culture such as texting and blogging.

The political education workshop, meanwhile, aimed to prepare the students for the 2010 elections. “It encourages the students to be more critical in political issues,” said Princess Meeralith Celestino (IV AB PoS), President of The Assembly, one of Sanggu’s partner orgs for ACP.

The final ACP component is the benefit concert. The concert featured socially-oriented bands and Ateneo’s performing arts orgs. Proceeds of the concert will go to the Ateneo Disaster Response and Management team.

Venue for fun and sustainability
Students expressed their hopes for ACP even before signing up for classes.

“I hope that ACP will be fun—it is a nice venue for Ateneans to have fun after all the academic work,” said Jose Miguel Zaballero (IV AB SoS), Coordinating Head of Ateneo Student Trainers, the org in charge of facilitating the cultural immersions.

Celestino, meanwhile, hopes that the ACP “will impart critical thinking to Ateneans.”

Salcedo hopes that the students will not “only see [ACP] as a requirement…but as something that can be sustainable for them.”