By Achs Fausto

By Alexia Bangayan

On Wednesday, March 18, the Tulong-Dunong (TD) program of the Ateneo High School (AHS) celebrated its golden anniversary through an awarding program and alternative classes entitled ‘‘Golden Threads’’ for selected TD kids.

The celebration was held following the Social Involvement Mass, where invited TD tutors, their students, and Christian Service Involvement Program (CSIP) sponsors gathered to commemorate the milestone.

Golden Threads

The event kicked off the day’s celebrations with a series of activities for participants from partner schools, with five representatives from each school, accommodating a total of 85 students.

Students were divided into groups and rotated through different activity stations set up across the ASHS grounds.

Activities included dodgeball at the ASHS Field, dance sessions in the Dance Room, origami workshops in Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) 1 and 2, and a quiz bee at the Blackbox Theatre.

Programme Highlights 

Immediately after the ‘‘Golden Threads’’ activities,  the awarding program commenced, hosted by Mr. Macky Santos and Mr. Ferdie Verayo.

The program began with the acknowledgement of TD partners, led by Mr. Alvin Macaranas, Christian Life Education (CLE) Subject Area Coordinator, followed by the welcoming remarks from the principal, Mrs. Rosanna M. Borja.

Ms. Mercy de Guia,  a TD Teacher, then introduced the judges for the ‘‘TD @50’’ song competition, namely Toma Cayabyab, Romar Chuca, and Angel Aquino.

The competition recognized the top five finalists: 11-Moscoso, 11-Grande, 11-Goupil, 11-San Vitores, and 11-Angelis, with each section performing live as their music videos were shown in the background.

The program also recognized jeepney drivers and representatives of the TD partner schools in Marikina for their contributions to the program.

The awarding ceremony followed, with San Vitores receiving first place, Angelis placing second, and Grande in Third.

The program concluded with closing remarks from Mrs. Maria Jennifer A. Conception, Assistant Principal for Formation, and a closing prayer accompanied by the TD theme song ‘‘Bumaba ka sa Bundok.’’

A Legacy of Service

TD was founded by Fr. James O’Brien, SJ, inspired by his work assisting underprivileged youth through education in Naga City in 1969.

The program was later established at the AHS in 1976 as a community service initiative providing tutoring and scholarship opportunities to academically capable public school students.

The first experimental tutoring program was conducted by Class 4H of AHS, serving students from Barangka Elementary School.

Since then, TD has expanded to serve partner schools across Marikina, with the most recent being Kapitan Moy Elementary School, tutored by Grade 11-Realino in School Year 2025–2026.