Apl.de.ap shares blessings with hometown

ANGELES CITY, Philippines – Filipino-American singer Allan Pineda, popularly known as Apl.de.ap of the Grammy award-winning quartet Black Eyed Peas, inaugurated on Tuesday the music studio he founded for the youth of Pampanga.

Pineda was born in Barangay Sapang Bato to a Filipino mother and an American father. He migrated to the United States after finishing third year high school at the Holy Angel University (HAU).

Pineda said he has obtained dual citizenship. “I am already a dual citizen,” he said.

On Tuesday, he inaugurated the Apl.de.ap music studio and music library he founded at the HAU in partnership with Hewlett Packard and Ayala Foundation Inc.  

Pineda met for the first time 15 of his scholars, all freshmen at the HAU. The scholars finished at the top of their class at the Sapang Bato National High School.

“The instruments used by my group in our various concerts will be donated to the music library,” he said.

Hewlett Packard has donated computer systems to the studio, which Pineda gamely tested yesterday.

Arlan de la Cruz, head of the HAU office of community extension services, said the studio will be the training hub for musically talented youth from Barangay Sapang Bato.

A music training program consisting of lessons in electric guitar, drums, keyboard and voice is now in place. The library is also stacked with books and compact disks. 

Pineda also visited Sapang Bato National High School where he finished his elementary education to inspect a computer laboratory he founded. Hewlett Packard also donated computers for the laboratory.

Last December, he also returned to his province to turn over to the Pearl S. Buck Foundation-that helped him find a sponsor in the United States- a donation of US$25,000 and pledged to make a contribution every year.