Apo Hiking Society

Did You Know?

• The group's name was also a pun on the acronym AMHS representing their school.
• In 2012, a movie musical titled I Doo Bidoobidoo based on APO songs was released, inspired by Mamma Mia.
• The group used their brand name "APO" for Tagalog puns in TV show titles like Sa Linggo nAPO Sila.

History

The group’s name, Apolinario Mabini Hiking Society, was chosen for its irony, since the historical figure Mabini lost the use of his legs to polio. In a 2008 interview, the trio revealed other names they had considered: Jose Rizal Bulletproof Vest Company, Kataas-taasang Kagalang-galangang Kombo, and The Purple People. They first caught attention in 1973 with a farewell concert at the Meralco Theater in Pasig, Rizal. Fresh out of college, they were well-known at Ateneo de Manila University and nearby campuses for blending music with comedy. That concert happened because two of the four original members planned to leave amateur music—one to study in Turkey as an exchange student, the other to join his father’s advertising firm. When the Turkey trip fell through, the group, now a trio, continued forward. In late 1978, a near-breakup occurred when Jim Paredes walked out of a songwriting session after a four-syllable word was used instead of the three-syllable one he had requested. Looking back, Danny Javier and Boboy Garrovillo have no regrets about never holding regular jobs. The farewell concert, which drew sold-out crowds during two stormy nights, became a hit record the following year. Over the next three decades, APO produced 22 albums, hosted television shows including “Sa Linggo nAPO Sila” and “‘Sang Linggo nAPO Sila,” and performed major solo concerts in more than 50 cities across the U.S., Canada, Singapore, Indonesia, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Japan. In 1978, they placed second in the Metro Manila Popular Song Festival with the song “Ewan,” written by Louie Ocampo.