True BSU spirit (Lone Cordi TOSP vows to carry on good deeds outside the walls of the

university)
With an aim to empower the citizenry in the locality specially the youth, newly crowned Top
Outstanding Student of the Philippines (TOSP), Apolinario Apoli Bagano, a graduate of
Development Communications of Benguet State University (BSU), vows to continue what
he has started while he intends to conquer yet another feat outside the walls of the
University Law School.
BSUs pride Apoli is now an instant celebrity not only around BSU but in the whole region
CAR as well. This is because he is the lone Cordi student that made it through in this years
TOSP. And even without the TOSP award, Apoli will still always be a celebrity through the
eyes and hearts of many high school students and communities he has touched in the
region.

Apolis 360-degree turn around

Apolis enthusiasm to help the less-privileged was never that high during his earlier high
school days in BSU. Though he never experienced flunking, his grades had all been
sevens. Apoli never cared about his grades, so long that they are passing numbers. He
even disclosed before this author that during these times, he only cared about computer
games and that his world revolves around the computer screen and its keyboard.
It is only during his late high school days when he made a 360-degree change. Apoli found
the girl that radically changed his perspective of life. But unlike cheesy Filipino movies, the
girl in Apolis life that changed him was his high school teacher-mentor, Jean Tom of BSU
secondary school (BSUs High School Department).
Needless to say, Apolis essay-writing skills caught the attention of Tom; skills which she
helped polished until Apolis exit to secondary education.

Having great mentoring from Tom and good writing skills, Apoli went on and enrolled in
Development Communication (DevCom). There, his critical mind lit up. He began involving
himself in student organizations, wherein he joined the BSU College of Agriculture (CA)
student publication. Apoli then mastered his skills and joined essay-writing competitions
even at his early years in college.
In his sophomore year, he stood out from the rest of his fellow lower-years. Upper BSU
DevCom students started involving Apoli in their community visits, which was an academic
requirement only for junior and senior DevCom students. Despite being only a sophomore
back then, he still managed to cope up with his seniors in the DevCom department.
It was during those community visits when Apoli was exposed on the different social and
environmental issues affecting the people of Benguet. There, he found his true calling.
In their community visits, Apoli realized the power of pen and paper as the medium for
empowering the less-privileged residents in the community. Through writing, Apoli
immortalized the stories of the people from the communities they visited in the BSU CA
student publication Agshan, circulated not only inside the College of Agriculture but in the
entire university as well. His stories played a huge role to the social awareness of his fellow
students inside the university.
Aside from writing stories from their community visits, Apoli and his colleagues also conduct
journalism trainings to selected High Schools and communities throughout Benguet and in
adjacent municipalities of Mountain Province. They pass their acquired knowledge on
outside the walls of the university, indeed staying true to their profession as DevComs.
While studying in BSU, Apoli was able to manage his time as a public servant to the youth
during his time as one of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Kagawads of Balili, La Trinidad.
Apoli, together with fellow kagawads, captured the interest of the youth and steered them
clear of unhealthy vices.
Through sports they have managed to inject good-quality norms for nation-building to their
fellow youths. They used sports to lure the youth in attending their social awareness
seminars.
In his junior days, Apoli applied for the exchange student program and was granted to
represent BSU in Japan. There, Apoli witnessed and experienced the perks of a first world

country from education, urban development to agriculture. But Instead of envying and
comparing the level of progress to the Philippines, Apoli saw it as fuel to boost his
dedication in helping his fellow countrymen, who seems to be hard up in coping with the
pace of development.
In his senior year, Apoli became the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of the school paper CA Pride.
There he revitalized CA Prides annual tradition wherein CA Pride is required to administer
one basic journalism training in one selected high school in Benguet. However, in his term
as CA Pride EIC they visited and conducted trainings in 13 high schools in Baguio, Benguet,
Mountain Province and Ifugao.
These basic journalism trainings served as a tool for Apoli and his colleagues to entice
social involvement from the youth.
Apolis quest in law school

Citing some of his conversations with community elders, Apoli become aware of the
exploitation being done to the communities. Profit-driven individuals take advantage of the
lack of knowledge of some less-privileged community residents and elders in attaining a
vast number of properties, mostly land. From that moment on and following his fathers
footsteps, Apoli swears to continue to render voluntary paralegal assistance to the
community even after his undergraduate years, in which he will be entering law school. If
granted the lawyers license after, hell be doing pro bono.
Law school will culminate Apolis experiences. In his entry to law school, Apoli will be
carrying with him an essential tool that will separate him from the rest of the would-be
lawyers.
His herculean principle to empower the less-privileged populace, which was forged by his
years of community immersions, is a formidable weapon that will help guide him in
construing our laws complexity, for it to benefit the needy. After all, framers designed our
statutes so that those who have less in life have more in law. But without the appropriate
weapon to construe, laws will appear gibberish and be just words on paper, thus
discounting its true intent and wisdom.