The 2nd APO General Meeting at the Anvaya Cove Beach and Nature Club

By Joanne Marañon

The exclusive Anvaya Cove Beach and Nature Club, Morong, Bataan was the chosen venue for the 2nd APO General meeting held last April 6, 2011. A lot of APO members brought their families and stayed overnight to take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the land and water activities that the place has to offer, all geared towards relaxation, recreation and reflection. Some members even went shopping at the nearby Subic Duty Free Port shops.

On the day of the seminar, there was ample time to go around the Club’s premises, followed by a sumptuous buffet lunch served al fresco. The opening ceremony began with Dr. Cristina Laureta, the master of ceremonies, introducing Dr. Joy Lazaro who led the invocation. This was followed by the welcome address of Dr. Roberto B. Tan, the APO President. He took the opportunity to thank Dr. Marilyn Leung, a Club member, who graciously coordinated with the Anvaya Management so that APO can hold its out-of town activity away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Dr. Tan reported on the various activities APO has embarked on since he officially took over its leadership in January, 2011. On the international front, he and Dr. Jose Rivera represented APO at the last WFO President’s Summit in December, 2010. Recently he and Dr Crisantha Santayana had the opportunity to represent APO at the last APOS Meeting held at the Conrad Centennial Hotel, Singapore on March 19, 2011. Locally, the APO is actively and tirelessly working with the PDA in providing our dental colleagues with orthodontic lecturers and speakers for the 103rd PDA Scientific Meeting to be held in October, 2011 at the SMX, Pasay City. He closed his speech by enjoining the members to patronize the APO’s upcoming important events, namely: the 3rd APO General Meeting on June 1, 2011 at the Rockwell Club, Makati and the 6th APO Biennial Regional Congress on August 8 and 9, 2011 at Tagaytay Highlands.

On behalf of the PBO, Dr. Robert Eustaquio shared updates and important events that have transpired in the past few months. He started his spiel by informing the APO body that at present only the University-based Orthodontic Programs from UP, MCU, UE and CEU are recognized and accredited by the PBO. In an effort to uplift the standard of orthodontic practice in the country, he reiterated the importance of being a Board-Certified Orthodontic Practitioner and encouraged the APO general membership to take the PBO Certification Examinations. The Guidelines and the schedule of examinations for 2011 is available online (www.pbo.com) for those who are interested.

The main speaker of the day, Mr. Ardy Abello, a respected motivational speaker and hi-impact trainer, gave a practical and thought-provoking talk entitled “Because silver is not enough go for Gold: Valuable Insights for leadership and Positive Influence”.

Mr. Abello opened his talk by enjoining those who want to pursue a professional career to set their sights on being the best and pursue winning the gold. Accordingly, he imparted four practical insights that can guide, help and transform us as orthodontic professionals from languishing in mediocrity to being at the top of the helm, and to ultimately move us and turn our practice from silver to gold.

The first practical insight is that the good is the enemy of the great. Although most of us dream of going for gold many just end up settling for what is good. One of the reasons for this attitude is that people do not take time to assess and find their main strengths, are unable to tap and strengthen their core strengths, and end up staying on the safe side. We all have to dare for more! It is a good strategy for an individual to plan his own obsolescence to allow him to innovate and be better, to stretch him out of his comfort zone and be the best that he can be.

Secondly, an outstanding and consistent performance will make you a standout. People who are good at what they do are consistent performers. They are consistent towards a professional and personal vision. In order for us to have an outstanding performance we need a goal/vision. A vision is foresight with insight based on hindsight. It has 4 basic qualities namely: to dare what is impossible, to provide us with direction, to enable us to change our perspectives in life and to narrow our focus to what is important.

The 3rd insight encourages one to always lead with positive influence. Our mindsets can be reoriented if we are willing to reset it. Lastly, he believes that discipline produces long term results. A disciplined mind, heart and body will produce strength of character over time. The obstacle to progress is not the lack of knowledge but the belief that we already know everything. Thus the key is to keep on learning something new everyday. Still, it is noteworthy to remember that amidst the changes going on around us, we need to stand firm and be steadfast in our core values and beliefs in life.

Mr. Abello concluded his talk by challenging us to never settle for just being good or better but instead to set our sights at being the best that we can be. We can do this by consistently striving to be the best that we can be and make use of the core gifts. Thus, if there is someone who can outdo yourself then let it be you.

The second main speaker, Dr. Dennis Lim, a diplomate of the APO, echoed the lecture he delivered at the 22nd TAO National Annual Meeting and 2nd World Implant Orthodontic Conference on December 10, 2010 where he served as the sole Filipino Speaker. The lecture , entitled “The Different Wonders of Mini Screw Implant: An Adjunct to Orthodontic Treatment Mechanics” gave the audience a brief background on the basic types of implants used as orthodontic temporary anchorage devices(TAD), their uses, the available implant sites, as well as their advantages and disadvantages. Dr. Lim believes that with the advent of T.A.D. the problem of anchorage preservation is a thing of the past. He also generously shared some of his cases that were treated with TAD. Indeed, Dr. Lim is one of the pioneers in the use of TAD in orthodontics in our country today.

Kudos to the APO Officers for a very organized and successful out-of-town 2nd General Meeting!