Local AA History · Dumaguete and Negros Oriental

Dumaguete AA History Project

How did Alcoholics Anonymous get started in Dumaguete? The documentary evidence currently preserved by this project reaches back to July 8, 1988, when Jean S. was listed as an AA “Loner” in Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental. That record establishes AA presence in the province, but it does not yet tell us when the first regular local meeting began.

The record becomes clearer from there. A national AA convention was held in Dumaguete City in 1995. A General Service Office Traveler’s Report documents a named Dumaguete group, The Dumaguete Gang, meeting in 2002. A firsthand account describes AA activity in Dumaguete in early 2004, and public records document active meetings in Dumaguete and Valencia by 2007.

The 2012 International A.A. Directory again lists The Dumaguete Gang in Dumaguete City, with Sammy K. and Frank G. as contacts. Together with the 2002 record, that provides an important continuity lead, although the available evidence does not yet establish uninterrupted operation between those years.

This project preserves those records as they are found: dates, group names, meeting schedules, locations, member identifiers, archival documents, firsthand accounts, oral history, contradictions, and unanswered questions. It is a continuing research record rather than a finished narrative, and the question of exactly when AA first began in Dumaguete or Negros Oriental remains open.

Explore the High-Level Timeline

What We Know So Far

By September 29, 2013, AA meetings were publicly listed in Dumaguete City and Valencia, Negros Oriental, in an archived AA Philippines Visayas meeting directory.

The archived records currently preserved show meeting-location references in Dumaguete City, Valencia, Siaton, Dauin, and Talay, with additional later references to Bacong and Dauin from a separate 2021 public online review.

These records do not prove when AA first began in Dumaguete. They do prove that AA meetings in Dumaguete City and Valencia were publicly listed online by September 29, 2013.

July 8, 1988 — Historical record amendment: Research provided by the General Service Office Archives has extended the documented history substantially earlier. A “New Loner” listing in the July 8, 1988 issue of the Loners-Internationalists Meeting, a confidential bulletin sent to AA “Loners,” lists Jean S. of Basak Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental, Philippines. This is currently the earliest documentary record preserved by the project showing AA presence in Negros Oriental.

1988 limitation: The listing documents an AA Loner in Negros Oriental. It does not establish that a regular AA group or meeting was operating in Zamboanguita, Dumaguete, or elsewhere in Negros Oriental on July 8, 1988.

February 3–5, 1995 — Dumaguete convention amendment: A March 16, 1995 letter preserved by the General Service Office Archives records that a member of the Bitoon Group in South Cebu, Philippines attended the 13th National Convention of the Philippine Group, which the member stated “was held in Dumaguete City for three days February 3, 4, 5, 1995.” This is currently the earliest preserved record establishing a major organized AA event in Dumaguete City.

1995 limitation: The GSO Archives did not locate further records concerning the convention. The currently preserved evidence does not identify the venue, attendance, organizers, local host group, program, or the extent of AA meeting activity already operating in Dumaguete at that time.

October 8, 2002 — Named Dumaguete group amendment: A completed GSO Traveler’s Report documents The Dumaguete Gang in Dumaguete. The report lists meetings on Saturdays and Wednesdays at 2:00 PM, identifies the language as English, gives an estimated membership of 4+, identifies Frank G. as group contact, lists Sammy and Mark as additional contacts, and preserves the wording “Located in Candau-Ay” in the mailing-address field.

2002 significance: This is currently the earliest preserved archival record identifying a named AA group in Dumaguete and providing meeting days, meeting time, language, estimated membership, and member contacts.

2002 limitation: The Traveler’s Report does not establish when The Dumaguete Gang began, who founded it, the exact physical meeting venue, or whether “Located in Candau-Ay” referred to the meeting location or another type of address.

Early 2004 — Firsthand Dumaguete activity amendment: A March 16, 2004 email preserved by the GSO Archives contains a firsthand account from Jeff L., identified as a Loner from Ormoc City, Philippines. During a visit to Dumaguete in the preceding weeks, he made contact with local AA members, met a Dumaguete member for coffee, encountered approximately 20 recovering members of AA and some other 12-step programs gathering in Dumaguete before a convention on another nearby island, and attended an AA meeting that evening.

2004 limitation: The exact date of the Dumaguete visit is not established. The surviving account does not identify the hotel, the local group, the meeting venue, or the nearby-island convention.

March 7, 2007 — Public-record amendment: The recovered DumagueteInfo thread remains the earliest confirmed public local AA record currently preserved by the project. It documents active AA groups in both Dumaguete and Valencia and later provides exact days, times, and clearly described meeting venues for both areas.

2007 clarification: The March 7, 2007 record is no longer the earliest documentary evidence of AA activity in Dumaguete or Negros Oriental. The GSO archival records now establish Negros Oriental AA presence by July 8, 1988, a national convention in Dumaguete by February 3–5, 1995, and The Dumaguete Gang as a named Dumaguete group by October 8, 2002.

2012 — International A.A. Directory amendment: The 2012 International A.A. Directory lists The Dumaguete Gang Group (Eng), meeting on Saturday at 14:00 at Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr in Dumaguete City, Philippines, with Sammy K. and Frank G. listed as contacts.

2012 continuity lead: The same group name appears in both the October 8, 2002 Traveler’s Report and the 2012 International A.A. Directory. Frank G. appears in both records, and Sammy in 2002 may be related to the Sammy K. listed in 2012. These are important continuity clues, but the records do not by themselves prove uninterrupted operation between 2002 and 2012 or establish that Sammy and Sammy K. are necessarily the same person.

September 29, 2013 — Online-directory clarification: The September 29, 2013 AA Philippines Visayas meeting directory remains the earliest confirmed online AA Philippines Visayas meeting-directory record currently preserved by the project. It remains important because it documents a broader Negros Oriental meeting structure in Dumaguete City and Valencia. It is no longer the earliest documentary evidence of AA activity in the area.

Current research position: The evidence now shows a documented sequence extending from an AA Loner in Negros Oriental in 1988, to a national AA convention in Dumaguete in 1995, to a named Dumaguete AA group in 2002, firsthand Dumaguete AA activity in early 2004, publicly documented Dumaguete and Valencia meetings in 2007, and later directory and online records. These records still do not establish when AA first began in Dumaguete or Negros Oriental.

Website and Online Presence Research

This section preserves research related to Dumaguete AA websites, online listings, meeting directories, and historical web references.

August 8, 2013 — No Dumaguete Regional Website Listed

Source Type: Archived AA Philippines regional-sites page.

An archived capture dated August 8, 2013 lists the following regional websites:

• Philippines
• Angeles City
• Cebu
• Manila
• Subic Bay

No Dumaguete website, Negros Oriental website, or Valencia website appears in the preserved regional-sites listing.

Research Note: This does not indicate whether AA meetings existed in Dumaguete at the time. It only shows that a Dumaguete-specific website was not listed on the archived AA Philippines regional-sites page captured on August 8, 2013.

Current Research Question: When did Dumaguete first receive a dedicated online AA presence, and how did that later develop into DumagueteAA.org?

July 29, 2010 — AA Philippines Yahoo Group Active

An archived Yahoo Groups capture from July 29, 2010 confirms that the AAPhilippines Yahoo Group was active before the earliest currently preserved Dumaguete meeting-directory records.

• Group Name: AAPhilippines
• Category: Alcoholics Anonymous
• Founded: February 7, 2004
• Language: English
• Members: 177 (captured July 29, 2010)

Research Value: The group confirms that an organized online AA Philippines communication network existed by 2004. The group may have contained meeting listings, announcements, convention information, service contacts, and references to recovery activity in areas outside Manila.

Current Status: Research in progress. No confirmed Dumaguete references have yet been preserved from the reviewed Yahoo Group records.

Open Research Question: Did the AAPhilippines Yahoo Group contain references to Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Valencia, Bacong, Dauin, Siaton, or other local recovery activity before the earliest currently preserved Dumaguete meeting-directory records?

Research status: Active

Last reviewed: August 17, 2026

Last updated: August 17, 2026

Page status: Active historical data capture page. This page intentionally preserves rough historical meeting-location data while research is ongoing. It also preserves incomplete, approximate, overlapping, unresolved, and potentially conflicting research notes without forcing them into a single narrative or treating unconfirmed recollections as settled history.

Dated-entry control: Each research entry is treated as a separate research card. When the exact historical date is known, the entry uses the month, day, and year of the historical fact or event. When the exact day is not known, the entry uses the most specific historical period supported by the source. The date information was received or added to the project is retained only as source metadata and is not substituted for the historical date.

Chronological-order control: Historical entries are placed according to the date of the historical event, activity, meeting, record, or period being documented. A later date on which information was received, recovered, forwarded, or added to this project does not determine its chronological position. Source-document dates are preserved separately when they differ from the historical event date.

Time-zone handling: Historical forum entries use the Dumaguete local date and time when the source time zone can be converted reliably. The original source timestamp and stated source time zone are also preserved in the detailed research entry.

July 8, 1988 — Earliest confirmed GSO archival record currently preserved for AA activity in Negros Oriental: A “New Loner” listing in the July 8, 1988 issue of the Loners-Internationalists Meeting, a confidential bulletin sent to AA “Loners,” lists Jean S. of Basak Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental, Philippines. The General Service Office Archives identified this as the earliest record located in its collections that references AA activity in Dumaguete or Negros Oriental.

July 8, 1988 limitation: The New Loner listing establishes documented AA presence in Negros Oriental by that date. It does not establish that a regular AA group or meeting was operating in Zamboanguita, Dumaguete, or elsewhere in Negros Oriental, and it does not establish when Jean S. first became connected with AA activity in the area.

February 3–5, 1995 — Earliest confirmed archival record currently preserved of a major organized AA event in Dumaguete City: Research provided by the General Service Office Archives of Alcoholics Anonymous in New York identified a letter from a member of the Bitoon Group in South Cebu, Philippines, who reported attending the 13th National Convention of the Philippine Group. The member stated that the convention “was held in Dumaguete City for three days February 3, 4, 5, 1995.”

March 16, 1995 source-document date: The convention information is preserved in a letter sent to the Alcoholics Anonymous General Service Office in New York on March 16, 1995. March 16 is the date of the surviving archival correspondence and is not substituted for the convention dates of February 3, 4, and 5, 1995.

1995 convention record limitation: The General Service Office Archives in New York was not able to locate further information in its collections concerning the events of this National Convention. The currently preserved record does not identify the Dumaguete venue, attendance, local host group, organizers, program, speakers, participating groups, or the extent of local Dumaguete membership at that time.

October 8, 2002 — Earliest confirmed named Dumaguete AA group currently preserved in GSO archival records: A completed General Service Office Traveler’s Report documents The Dumaguete Gang in Dumaguete, Philippines.

October 8, 2002 group details: The Traveler’s Report lists the country as Philippines; city as Dumaguete; group name as The Dumaguete Gang; meeting days as Saturdays and Wednesdays; meeting time as 2 pm; group contact as Frank G.; the mailing-address field as “Located in Candau-Ay”; language as English; estimated number of members as 4+; and additional contacts as Sammy and Mark.

October 8, 2002 source context: The Traveler’s Report asked members using the International Directory outside the United States and Canada to report English-speaking AA group meetings that were not listed in the International Directory. The preserved form wording states: “As you use this Directory during your travels outside of the U.S./Canada, we would appreciate receiving information on English-speaking A.A. group meetings that you do not find listed in this International Directory.”

October 8, 2002 historical significance: This is currently the earliest preserved archival record that identifies a named Dumaguete AA group and provides meeting days, meeting time, language, estimated membership, and member contacts.

October 8, 2002 limitation: The record does not establish when The Dumaguete Gang began, who founded it, the exact meeting venue, whether “Located in Candau-Ay” refers to the meeting location or another address, or whether AA meetings were already operating elsewhere in Dumaguete or Negros Oriental.

Early 2004 — Firsthand GSO archival account of Dumaguete AA contact and meeting activity: Jeff L., identified in the GSO Archives record as a Loner from Ormoc City, Philippines, described visiting Dumaguete during a period of travel around different Philippine islands. The exact date of his Dumaguete visit has not yet been established.

Early 2004 Dumaguete account: Jeff L. arrived in Dumaguete with the email address of a fellow AA member. After sending the member a text message on his cell phone, Jeff L. learned that the member was temporarily in Thailand. That member connected him with another member in Dumaguete, who met Jeff L. for coffee the following day. The two later walked to another hotel, where Jeff L. was introduced to approximately 20 recovering members of AA and some other 12-step programs.

Early 2004 regional gathering: Jeff L. understood that a convention was being held the following weekend on another nearby island, which he described as “sort of like a regional.” He wrote that recovering people were gathering from all over the Philippines and were “staging in Dumaguete.” That evening he attended an AA meeting and heard what he described as a wide variety of experience, strength, and hope.

Early 2004 distinction: The approximately 20 people encountered at the hotel were described as recovering members of AA and some other 12-step programs. The record therefore does not establish that all approximately 20 people were AA members.

March 16, 2004 source-document date: Jeff L.’s account is preserved in an email sent to the General Service Office on March 16, 2004. The email states that the described travel and meetings occurred during approximately the previous two months. March 16 is therefore retained as the source-email date and is not treated as the exact date of the Dumaguete visit.

Early 2004 travel context: Before describing Dumaguete, Jeff L. wrote that he had spent his first month traveling among different islands and had obtained several AA contacts and meeting leads from the AA International Directory. In Cagayan de Oro, he contacted a member and attended a meeting the following night consisting of three local men plus himself. He described the three men as having sobriety ranging from less than one year to 15 years and wrote about hearing their experience, strength, and hope in halting English.

Early 2004 limitation: The record does not identify the Dumaguete member who met Jeff L. for coffee, the member who was temporarily in Thailand, the hotel where the recovering people gathered, the Dumaguete meeting venue, the name of the local group, the nearby island where the convention was held, or whether the meeting Jeff L. attended was connected with The Dumaguete Gang documented in 2002.

Earliest confirmed public local AA record currently preserved: March 7, 2007, Dumaguete local time. A DumagueteInfo thread titled “Alcoholics Anonymous in Dumaguete” confirms that AA groups were operating in both Dumaguete and Valencia. The opening post was submitted by Mark C. at March 6, 2007, 11:29 PM GMT, corresponding to March 7, 2007, 7:29 AM in Dumaguete.

March 7, 2007 archival-context amendment: The March 7, 2007 DumagueteInfo thread remains the earliest confirmed public local AA record currently preserved by the project. It is no longer the earliest documentary evidence of AA activity in Negros Oriental or Dumaguete. GSO archival records now establish documented Negros Oriental AA presence by July 8, 1988, a national convention in Dumaguete on February 3–5, 1995, and The Dumaguete Gang as a named Dumaguete AA group by October 8, 2002.

Earliest exact local meeting venues and schedules currently preserved: March 7, 2007, Dumaguete local time. In a later post in the same DumagueteInfo thread, Mark C. documented a Wednesday 6:30 PM meeting in the conference room of the Catholic Cathedral described as the large church by the park in Valencia, and a Thursday 6:30 PM meeting in the conference room of Dumaguete Central Cathedral. The source post was submitted at March 7, 2007, 1:39 PM GMT, corresponding to March 7, 2007, 9:39 PM in Dumaguete.

March 7, 2007 venue-detail amendment: The October 8, 2002 Traveler’s Report predates the March 2007 public schedule and identifies The Dumaguete Gang as meeting Saturdays and Wednesdays at 2 pm, with “Located in Candau-Ay” recorded in the mailing-address field. Because that wording does not establish an exact physical meeting venue, March 7, 2007 remains the earliest currently preserved record giving clearly described local meeting venues together with exact days and times.

Earliest firsthand participant identified in the recovered public record: Mark C. stated that he personally attended the Valencia meeting, described it as a comparatively large group of foreigners from different parts of the world, and said that AA had worked for him. The record does not establish that he founded, organized, or held a service position in either meeting.

Current earliest-meeting finding: Two separate meetings were publicly documented as active by March 7, 2007: one at the Catholic Cathedral meeting room in Valencia and one at the conference room of Dumaguete Central Cathedral. The recovered record does not establish which meeting began first, when either meeting began, whether the same members maintained both meetings, or who started them.

Current earliest-meeting amendment: The October 8, 2002 GSO Traveler’s Report now provides earlier documentary evidence of a named Dumaguete group, The Dumaguete Gang, meeting Saturdays and Wednesdays at 2 pm. The March 7, 2007 record remains important because it independently documents two public local meeting schedules and clearly described venues in both Dumaguete and Valencia.

Earlier national online context currently preserved: July 29, 2010. An archived capture confirms that the AAPhilippines Yahoo Group was active on that date. No confirmed Dumaguete reference has yet been preserved from the reviewed Yahoo Group records. This national online record is later than the recovered March 2007 DumagueteInfo thread.

February 8, 2011 Valencia confirmation: The later DumagueteInfo discussion documents a Wednesday 6:30 PM meeting in the conference room of Our Lady of the Abandoned Catholic Cathedral in Valencia. The day, time, and Valencia church location correspond with the meeting information posted by Mark C. on March 7, 2007.

Recovered research path: A February 8, 2011 DumagueteInfo discussion stated that the writer had seen a 2007 post about AA meetings in Dumaguete. That clue led to the recovery of the original “Alcoholics Anonymous in Dumaguete” thread. The recovered thread confirms the March 2007 dates, both meeting areas, both venues, and both meeting times.

2012 International A.A. Directory record: The 2012 International A.A. Directory lists The Dumaguete Gang Group (Eng), meeting Saturday at 14:00 at Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr, Dumaguete City, Philippines. The listed contacts are Sammy K. and Frank G..

2012 cross-record research lead: The October 8, 2002 Traveler’s Report identifies The Dumaguete Gang, names Frank G. as group contact, and lists Sammy as an additional contact. The 2012 International A.A. Directory again identifies The Dumaguete Gang and lists Sammy K. and Frank G. as contacts. The repeated group name and member identifiers are important continuity clues, but the available records do not by themselves prove uninterrupted operation from 2002 through 2012 or establish that Sammy and Sammy K. are necessarily the same person.

2012 schedule comparison: The October 8, 2002 Traveler’s Report lists Saturdays and Wednesdays at 2 pm. The 2012 International A.A. Directory lists Saturday at 14:00, equivalent to 2:00 PM. The currently preserved 2012 listing does not mention the Wednesday meeting.

Earliest period currently identified through oral-history research: 2012. The specific month and day have not yet been established. A former local member recalled that AA meetings were already operating in Dumaguete and Valencia when the source arrived in 2012. The source recalled an operating meeting of approximately five to six members, identified the Valencia church as the earliest formal meeting known to the source, and also recalled an informal downtown Dumaguete coffee-shop gathering. The recollection that the Valencia church meeting was already operating is corroborated by the March 7, 2007 and February 8, 2011 public records.

Valencia origin lead from oral history: A former local member later recalled that the Valencia church meeting was the earliest formal meeting known to the source. The March 7, 2007 record confirms that the Valencia meeting was already active several years before the source arrived in 2012. The same March 7, 2007 record also confirms that a separate Dumaguete City cathedral meeting was active by that date, so the available evidence does not establish Valencia as the sole original meeting.

Valencia origin-lead amendment: The GSO archival evidence now documents The Dumaguete Gang as a named Dumaguete AA group on October 8, 2002, approximately four and a half years before the March 2007 Valencia and Dumaguete cathedral records. The former member’s recollection remains valuable evidence of what was understood locally upon arrival in 2012, but Valencia can no longer be treated as the earliest documented candidate for a formal local AA group based on the evidence currently preserved.

Earliest confirmed archived AA Philippines directory record for Negros Oriental currently preserved: September 29, 2013. The directory lists meetings in Valencia and Dumaguete City, including Lady of the Abandoned Cathedral, Café Antonio in the Spanish Heritage Building, and Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church.

September 29, 2013 directory amendment: A separate GSO archival source now confirms that the 2012 International A.A. Directory listed The Dumaguete Gang Group in Dumaguete City. The September 29, 2013 record remains the earliest archived AA Philippines Visayas meeting-directory record currently preserved by this project and remains important because it provides a broader Negros Oriental schedule covering multiple meeting locations.

Earliest Cafe Rene directory record currently preserved: January 27, 2014. The archived directory identifies the downtown meeting location as 2nd Floor Cafe Rene on Rizal Boulevard, next to Chin Loong Restaurant.

Earliest meeting date currently confirmed through the site author’s direct recollection: April 17, 2014. The site author confirms that the meeting at 2nd Floor Cafe Rene on Rizal Boulevard was operating on that date and had begun before that date. No earlier date is currently confirmed through the author’s direct recollection.

Downtown venue sequence under research: The former local member recalled that the downtown coffee-shop gathering later continued at Bethel Guest House. The site author independently recalls that Cafe Rene closed and that the meeting had to move. The preserved sequence is Cafe Rene followed by Bethel Guest House. The exact closing date, relocation date, and possibility of an intermediate venue remain unresolved.

Oldest documented DumagueteAA.org date currently established: January 15, 2015

First confirmed schedule reference to “Dumaguete AA Website” currently preserved: July 16, 2016

Source types: DumagueteAA.org archives, archived AA Philippines meeting directories, DumagueteInfo forum discussions, public forum references, convention materials, recovered website records, oral histories, interviews, direct written recollections, the site author’s direct recollections, recovered emails and correspondence, old meeting announcements, Internet Archive research, and historical documents when available.

Source-type amendment: The research set now also includes records identified through the General Service Office Archives of Alcoholics Anonymous in New York, including the Loners-Internationalists Meeting bulletin, GSO correspondence, Traveler’s Reports, International A.A. Directory records, and archival email correspondence.

GSO Archives source packet: The archival findings concerning July 8, 1988; February 3–5, 1995; October 8, 2002; early 2004; and 2012 were supplied by Sabrina S., Archives Research Assistant, General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous. The archival response was received on August 17, 2026 at 15:30. That date is retained as source metadata only and does not determine the chronological position of the historical records.

GSO Archives record-coverage caution: The General Service Office Archives noted that the amount of information available about any group, area, or district depends on how much information was sent to the GSO over the years. The Archives also noted that groups commonly organize meetings before contacting the GSO. Dates in GSO records therefore establish documentary evidence that activity existed by those dates; they should not automatically be treated as the dates on which the groups or meetings began.

Privacy handling: A.A.-appropriate identifiers such as Mark C. may be retained when they provide a useful historical research clue without publishing a full identity. Full personal names, direct phone numbers, hotline numbers, email addresses, and private contact details from historical records are otherwise intentionally omitted from this public page.

Privacy-handling amendment: Historical member identifiers supplied by the GSO Archives are preserved in the form authorized for release by the Archives, including Jean S., Frank G., Sammy, Mark, Jeff L., and Sammy K. These identifiers are not expanded beyond the archival source. The GSO Archives advised that its anonymity policy prevents release of AA members’ last names, personal addresses, and other contact information. The professional archival source is identified on this page as Sabrina S.

December 9, 2014 — Recovered AA Philippines Meeting-List PDF Adds a New Late-2014 Negros Oriental Schedule State

Research Status: Confirmed historical directory evidence recovered from an original AA Philippines PDF through Internet Archive research. The source introduces meeting information and schedule relationships not previously preserved on this History Project page.

Source Title Shown in Document: Alcoholics Anonymous Philippines Meeting Schedule 2014

PDF Metadata Title: AA Phil Meeting List 2014

Source File: AA_Meeting_List_2014_v1.1.pdf

Original Source URL: http://www.aaphilippines.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/AA_Meeting_List_2014_v1.1.pdf

Source Recovery: The PDF was recovered from the Internet Archive after the original AA Philippines URL appeared repeatedly during historical research. The exact Internet Archive capture URL and capture timestamp are not yet preserved in this research entry.

PDF Source-Document Date: Embedded PDF metadata records both the creation date and modification date as December 9, 2014 at 05:54:33 UTC. This is equivalent to December 9, 2014 in Dumaguete local time. The timestamp is preserved as source-document metadata and is not treated as the time at which the listed meetings occurred or changed.

Original URL Date Context: The original AA Philippines file path contains /2014/12/, independently placing the uploaded file in the December 2014 WordPress upload directory. That URL structure supports the month and year but is not by itself used to manufacture an exact publication day.

Relevant Source Location: Page 8 of the 18-page PDF contains the table labeled “Visayas – Negros Oriental Bacolod Dumaguete Valencia.” The table includes Dumaguete City, Valencia, and Bacolod records. Only evidence relevant to Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental is preserved in this amendment.

December 9, 2014 — National AA Philippines Meeting Schedule Preserves a New Late-2014 Local Record

Historical Record: The recovered December 9, 2014 PDF preserves a late-2014 national AA Philippines meeting schedule containing a dedicated table for Negros Oriental, Bacolod, Dumaguete, and Valencia. This source was not previously represented as a separate historical record on the Dumaguete AA History Project page.

Source: Alcoholics Anonymous Philippines Meeting Schedule 2014, AA_Meeting_List_2014_v1.1.pdf, page 8. Original source URL: aaphilippines.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/AA_Meeting_List_2014_v1.1.pdf.

Historical Significance: The surviving PDF fills part of the documentary gap between the currently preserved October 20, 2014 AA Philippines directory record and the August 11, 2015 directory record. It shows that several local meeting times and one meeting-location configuration differed from the schedule previously preserved for October 2014.

Limitation: The PDF creation date establishes when this surviving schedule document was generated. It does not by itself establish the exact effective date of each schedule change or prove that every listed meeting was operating exactly as printed on December 9, 2014.

December 9, 2014 — Acetone Seaside Beginners-Open Meeting Listed at UCCP Church in Dumaguete

Source: Alcoholics Anonymous Philippines Meeting Schedule 2014, AA_Meeting_List_2014_v1.1.pdf, page 8, source-document date December 9, 2014.

• Day: Monday
• Time: 8:30 AM
• Meeting Name: Acetone Seaside Beginners-Open meeting
• Meeting Language: Visayan / English
• Venue: UCCP Church
• Exact Source Venue Wording: “UCCP Church, Siliman Avenue, Dumaguete City”
• Contact Identifier: Henry
• Exact Contact-Language Wording: “Visyan or English”

Source-Wording Control: The PDF spells the street “Siliman Avenue”. That wording is preserved exactly here. Do not silently normalize it to “Silliman Avenue” until the historical venue is independently verified and a normalized place entity is deliberately created.

Privacy Handling: The source also supplies a telephone number and Skype contact for Henry. Those direct historical contact details are intentionally omitted from the public research card. The AA-appropriate source identifier Henry is retained because it may provide a useful future continuity or identification clue.

New Research Value: The current History Project did not previously preserve an Acetone Seaside Beginners-Open meeting at a UCCP Church on “Siliman Avenue” in Dumaguete City. Existing 2014 research instead documents an Acetone Seaside Beginners-Open meeting at Erlinda’s on the National Highway at K 56.2 in Siaton.

Limitation: This record does not establish whether the Dumaguete UCCP listing represents a relocation of the Siaton meeting, an additional meeting using the same name, a renamed meeting, a temporary schedule arrangement, or a directory error.

Open Research Questions: Where exactly was the UCCP Church identified as being on “Siliman Avenue”? Was Henry connected with the earlier Siaton Acetone Seaside meeting? Did the Acetone Seaside meeting move between Siaton and Dumaguete, or were separate meetings using the same name?

December 9, 2014 — Provincial Jail Outreach Listed at 9:00 AM

Source: Alcoholics Anonymous Philippines Meeting Schedule 2014, AA_Meeting_List_2014_v1.1.pdf, page 8, source-document date December 9, 2014.

• Day: Tuesday
• Time: 9:00 AM
• Status Wording: “CLOSED Outreach Program. SEE COORDINATOR.”
• Venue: Provincial Jail
• Location: Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas
• Landmark: In front of LTO Office
• Landmark: Beside Lamberto Macias Sports Complex

Privacy Handling: The source contains a 24/7 hotline number. The historical hotline number is intentionally omitted from the public research card.

Schedule Comparison: Earlier preserved 2014 AA Philippines directory records, including the October 20, 2014 schedule state, list the same Tuesday Provincial Jail outreach at 10:30 AM. The recovered December 9, 2014 PDF instead lists it at 9:00 AM.

Later Relationship: The August 11, 2015 directory currently preserved by the project also lists the Provincial Jail outreach at 9:00 AM. The recovered December 2014 PDF therefore moves the earliest currently preserved documentary evidence of the 9:00 AM schedule earlier than the previously preserved August 2015 record.

Historical Significance: This is evidence of a local schedule change or conflicting directory state between October and December 2014 while the venue wording and identifying landmarks remained stable.

Limitation: The record does not establish the exact date the outreach changed from 10:30 AM to 9:00 AM, whether the change was permanent, or whether one of the directory schedules contained stale or incorrect information.

December 9, 2014 — Valencia Meeting Still Listed Wednesday at 6:30 PM

Source: Alcoholics Anonymous Philippines Meeting Schedule 2014, AA_Meeting_List_2014_v1.1.pdf, page 8, source-document date December 9, 2014.

• Day: Wednesday
• Time: 6:30 PM
• Venue: Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
• Street: Rizal Street
• Location: Valencia, Negros Oriental
• Meeting Status / Language: Closed — English

Continuity Value: This listing agrees with the Wednesday 6:30 PM Valencia schedule preserved in the earlier 2014 directory records. It therefore provides another dated documentary point supporting continuity of that schedule through the December 2014 source document.

Later Schedule Relationship: The August 11, 2015 directory currently preserved by the project lists the Valencia meeting at 6:00 PM. The December 9, 2014 PDF therefore establishes a documentary boundary: the surviving December 2014 schedule still shows 6:30 PM, while the surviving August 2015 schedule shows 6:00 PM.

Limitation: The available records do not establish the exact date the Valencia meeting changed from 6:30 PM to 6:00 PM.

December 9, 2014 — Cafe Rene Still Listed as the Friday Dumaguete Venue, Now at 10:30 AM

Source: Alcoholics Anonymous Philippines Meeting Schedule 2014, AA_Meeting_List_2014_v1.1.pdf, page 8, source-document date December 9, 2014.

• Day: Friday
• Time: 10:30 AM
• Venue: 2nd Floor Cafe Rene
• Street: Rizal Boulevard
• Location: Dumaguete City
• Landmark: Next to Chin Loong Restaurant
• Meeting Status / Language: Open — English

Privacy Handling: The source gives the historical 24/7 hotline as the contact method. The hotline number is intentionally omitted from the public research card.

Schedule Comparison: The earlier 2014 AA Philippines directory records currently preserved by the project list the Friday Cafe Rene meeting at 9:00 AM through the October 20, 2014 schedule state. The recovered December 9, 2014 PDF lists the same Cafe Rene venue and landmark information at 10:30 AM.

New Historical Significance: The PDF provides later documentary evidence for Cafe Rene than the October 20, 2014 directory record currently reflected on the History Project page. It also documents a change or conflicting schedule state from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM while Cafe Rene remained the listed Friday venue.

Relationship To Direct Recollection: The site author’s direct recollection establishes that Cafe Rene was operating on April 17, 2014 and later closed, causing the meeting to move. The December 9, 2014 PDF now provides documentary evidence that Cafe Rene was still being published as the Friday Dumaguete meeting venue in this late-2014 schedule document.

Limitation: A directory listing does not independently prove that the meeting physically met at Cafe Rene on December 9, 2014. It establishes that Cafe Rene remained the venue published in this surviving schedule document on that date.

December 9, 2014 — Redemptorist Sunday Meeting Listed at 6:00 PM

Source: Alcoholics Anonymous Philippines Meeting Schedule 2014, AA_Meeting_List_2014_v1.1.pdf, page 8, source-document date December 9, 2014.

• Day: Sunday
• Time: 6:00 PM
• Venue: Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church
• Street: George Sy Street
• Location: Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas, Philippines
• Venue Detail: Left side of church
• Meeting Status / Language: Open — English
• Contact Identifier: Reza

Privacy Handling: The source supplies a direct telephone number for Reza and the historical 24-hour hotline. Those numbers are intentionally omitted. The source identifier Reza is preserved because it may be useful for future historical comparison or continuity research.

Conflicting Schedule Evidence: Earlier preserved 2014 AA Philippines directory records list the Sunday Redemptorist meeting at 6:30 PM. The recovered December 9, 2014 PDF lists it at 6:00 PM.

Later Relationship: The August 11, 2015 directory currently preserved by the project again lists the Sunday Redemptorist meeting at 6:30 PM. The 6:00 PM listing in this December 2014 PDF therefore should not be silently normalized to 6:30 PM.

Research Status: Unresolved schedule variation. Possible explanations include a temporary time change, a later reversal to 6:30 PM, stale information in one of the directories, or a schedule-entry error. No explanation is currently established.

Late 2014 to 2015 — Acetone, UCCP, Siaton, and Dumaguete Relationship Remains Unresolved

Relationship Type: Cross-record continuity and location research lead. This subsection compares separately preserved source records and does not merge them into a single meeting history.

• October 20, 2014 and earlier preserved 2014 records: Acetone Seaside Beginners-Open meeting, Friday 8:00 AM, Erlinda’s, National Highway at K 56.2, Siaton City, Visayan / English.
• December 9, 2014 recovered PDF: Acetone Seaside Beginners-Open meeting, Monday 8:30 AM, UCCP Church, “Siliman Avenue,” Dumaguete City, Visayan / English.
• August 11, 2015 preserved directory: Steps On the Beach, Open Literature Study Meeting, Monday 8:30 AM, UCCP Church, Siaton City, N/E corner of Public Market, Visayan / English.

Continuity Clues: The December 2014 record preserves the same Acetone Seaside Beginners-Open name previously associated with Siaton, while changing the listed day, time, and venue to Monday at 8:30 AM at a Dumaguete UCCP Church. The later August 2015 record preserves the Monday 8:30 AM time and a UCCP Church venue but places the meeting in Siaton and uses the name Steps On the Beach.

Research Interpretation: These similarities justify a relationship card and further research. They do not establish that all three records describe one continuously operating meeting.

Do Not Infer: Do not presently state that Acetone Seaside moved from Erlinda’s in Siaton to UCCP Church in Dumaguete and then returned to a UCCP Church in Siaton under the name Steps On the Beach. That sequence is possible but is not established by the surviving directory evidence alone.

Open Research Questions: Was the “Siliman Avenue” UCCP listing geographically correct? Was it the same Acetone Seaside meeting previously listed in Siaton? Was Steps On the Beach a renamed continuation? Did Henry have a role in more than one of these records? Are additional late-2014 or early-2015 directory captures available that resolve the sequence?

December 2014 to August 2015 — Cafe Rene-to-Bethel Documentary Transition Window Becomes Narrower

Relationship Type: Documentary chronology refinement combined with existing firsthand recollection.

• April 17, 2014: Site author directly confirms the meeting operating at 2nd Floor Cafe Rene.
• October 20, 2014: Existing archived directory record lists Cafe Rene on Friday at 9:00 AM.
• December 9, 2014: Newly recovered PDF still lists 2nd Floor Cafe Rene as the Friday Dumaguete venue, now at 10:30 AM.
• August 11, 2015: Existing archived directory lists the Friday 10:30 AM meeting at Bethel Guest House, 5th Floor.

Historical Significance: The recovered December 2014 PDF moves the latest currently preserved documentary Cafe Rene listing later than the October 20, 2014 record previously represented on the project page. It also shows the 10:30 AM Friday time before the surviving August 2015 Bethel listing uses that same Friday 10:30 AM time.

Relationship To Oral History: Existing firsthand recollections preserve the venue sequence as Cafe Rene followed by Bethel Guest House after Cafe Rene closed. The new PDF is consistent with that sequence and provides an additional dated documentary point inside it.

Current Documentary Window: Based only on the surviving directory records currently preserved, Cafe Rene remains the published Friday venue in the December 9, 2014 PDF, while Bethel Guest House is the published Friday venue by August 11, 2015.

Limitation: Do not treat December 9, 2014 as the last date Cafe Rene actually hosted the meeting or August 11, 2015 as the first date Bethel actually hosted it. These are documentary boundary dates from surviving schedules, not confirmed move dates.

Open Research Question: Can an AA Philippines schedule, Dumaguete schedule, Internet Archive capture, email, forum post, or firsthand recollection between December 9, 2014 and August 11, 2015 establish when Cafe Rene closed and when the Friday meeting first moved to Bethel Guest House?

December 9, 2014 — Source Coverage, Omissions, and Document-Quality Notes

Negros Oriental Records Located in This PDF: The local records recovered from page 8 are the Monday Acetone Seaside Beginners-Open meeting at UCCP Church in Dumaguete, Tuesday Provincial Jail outreach in Dumaguete, Wednesday Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish meeting in Valencia, Friday Cafe Rene meeting in Dumaguete, and Sunday Redemptorist Church meeting in Dumaguete.

Siaton Omission: No Siaton listing was located elsewhere in the recovered 18-page PDF, even though earlier 2014 directory records preserved by the project list the Acetone Seaside Beginners-Open meeting at Erlinda’s in Siaton. The absence of Siaton from this PDF does not establish that AA activity or the Siaton meeting had ended.

Other Negros Oriental Locations: No Bacong, Dauin, Zamboanguita, or Talay meeting listing was located in this recovered 2014 PDF. Their absence from this particular national schedule must not be interpreted as proof that no AA activity existed in those places.

Page-Heading Anomaly: The page-level heading printed at the top of page 8 reads “Visayas – Boracay, Aklan, Iloilo, Palawan Puerto Princessa,” while the actual table on that page is labeled “Visayas – Negros Oriental Bacolod Dumaguete Valencia” and contains the Dumaguete, Valencia, and Bacolod records described above. Preserve this as a source-formatting anomaly rather than changing the geographic meaning of the individual entries.

Geographic Control: Bacolod entries appearing in the same table are not treated as Negros Oriental meeting records. They remain part of the source document but are outside the primary geographic scope of this amendment.

Research Caution: This PDF should be preserved as an independent source record rather than used to overwrite the earlier 2014 AA Philippines directory captures. The differences between the sources are historically useful evidence of schedule change, source lag, temporary changes, or unresolved inconsistencies.

Amendment Summary: The recovered December 9, 2014 PDF adds a previously unpreserved Acetone Seaside Beginners-Open listing at UCCP Church on “Siliman Avenue” in Dumaguete City; preserves the new historical contact identifiers Henry and Reza; moves the earliest currently preserved 9:00 AM Provincial Jail schedule earlier than the August 2015 record; confirms the Valencia meeting still listed at 6:30 PM in December 2014; extends the surviving documentary Cafe Rene record to December 2014 while showing a Friday time change to 10:30 AM; preserves a conflicting 6:00 PM Redemptorist Sunday time; creates a new Acetone/UCCP/Siaton/Dumaguete continuity research lead; and narrows the surviving documentary window for the Cafe Rene-to-Bethel venue transition without manufacturing an exact move date.

Oral History Research

This section preserves firsthand recollections from people who attended or knew about AA meetings in Dumaguete and nearby Negros Oriental communities. Oral-history information may contain approximate dates, incomplete venue descriptions, or details remembered differently by different people. It is preserved as research evidence and compared with archived records without removing unresolved, overlapping, or conflicting details.

March 7, 2007 — AA Groups in Dumaguete and Valencia Publicly Announced

Historical Date: March 7, 2007, Dumaguete local time.

Source Type: Public DumagueteInfo forum thread titled “Alcoholics Anonymous in Dumaguete.”

Historical Thread URL: http://www.dumagueteinfo.com/board/dumaguete-city/alcoholics-anonymous-dumaguete-501.html

Research Status: Confirmed public historical reference.

Poster: DumagueteInfo username “Marky,” signing the post as Mark C.

Source Timestamp: March 6, 2007, 11:29 PM GMT.

Dumaguete Local Timestamp: March 7, 2007, 7:29 AM Philippine time.

• Mark C. opened a forum thread specifically about Alcoholics Anonymous in Dumaguete.
• He linked readers to the AA Philippines website.
• He stated that AA groups were operating in both Dumaguete and Valencia.
• He stated that AA membership had no dues or fees.
• He described membership as open to anyone with a desire to stop drinking.
• The opening post did not provide venue names, meeting days, or meeting times. Those details were supplied later in the same thread.

Source Observation: The forum profile displayed for Mark C. shows that the account joined DumagueteInfo in February 2007. The later archived copy of the thread shows 194 posts associated with the account. This is forum-profile metadata from the later archive capture and does not establish how long Mark C. had lived in the area or when he first attended AA.

Historical Significance: This is currently the earliest recovered public statement confirming that AA groups were operating in both Dumaguete and Valencia.

Unresolved Questions: The opening post does not establish when either group began, which group began first, who started either group, or whether additional meetings were operating elsewhere.

March 7, 2007 — Mark C. Clarifies AA Non-Affiliation

Historical Date: March 7, 2007, Dumaguete local time.

Source Timestamp: March 7, 2007, 5:41 AM GMT.

Dumaguete Local Timestamp: March 7, 2007, 1:41 PM Philippine time.

Poster: Mark C., posting under the DumagueteInfo username “Marky.”

• The thread discussion had shifted toward religion and religious testimony.
• Mark C. stated that some AA members attended churches of their choice.
• He clarified that Alcoholics Anonymous was not affiliated with any religion and was not a religious organization.

Research Value: This post does not add a meeting venue or schedule. It helps establish that Mark C. was familiar with AA principles and was distinguishing the fellowship from the churches that supplied meeting rooms.

Limitation: Familiarity with AA principles does not establish that Mark C. founded, organized, or held a service position in either local group.

March 7, 2007 — Exact Valencia and Dumaguete Meeting Venues and Times Documented

Historical Date: March 7, 2007, Dumaguete local time.

Source Timestamp: March 7, 2007, 1:39 PM GMT.

Dumaguete Local Timestamp: March 7, 2007, 9:39 PM Philippine time.

Poster: Mark C., posting under the DumagueteInfo username “Marky.”

Post Context: A forum member using the username “Goth” asked Mark C. to provide more details about AA in Dumaguete. Mark C. responded with the venues, days, times, and observations below.

Valencia Meeting:

• Day: Wednesday
• Time: 6:30 PM
• Venue wording in the post: Catholic Cathedral meeting room
• Location description: The large church by the park in Valencia
• Condensed schedule wording: Valencia Cathedral, conference room, 1830 Wednesdays
• Mark C. recommended that the person asking for information attend the Valencia meeting.
• Mark C. described the Valencia meeting as a comparatively large group.
• He described the attendees as foreigners from different parts of the world.
• He described it as a good meeting.
• He stated that the Valencia meeting was the meeting he personally attended.

Dumaguete Meeting:

• Day: Thursday
• Time: 6:30 PM
• Venue wording in the post: Conference room of Dumaguete’s central cathedral
• Condensed schedule wording: Dumaguete Central Cathedral, conference room, 1830 Thursdays
• Mark C. confirmed that this was a separate meeting in Dumaguete.
• He did not state that he personally attended the Dumaguete Central Cathedral meeting.
• He did not describe the size or membership composition of the Dumaguete meeting.

Mark C.’s Personal Observation: Mark C. stated that AA had worked for him. Combined with his statement that he attended the Valencia meeting, this identifies him as a participant with firsthand knowledge of at least the Valencia group and its schedule.

Research Significance: This is currently the earliest recovered public record that gives exact meeting venues, days, and times for AA meetings in both Valencia and Dumaguete City.

Venue Identification Limitation: The source uses the descriptions “Catholic Cathedral” in Valencia and “Dumaguete’s central cathedral.” The precise institutional names should remain separately documented until confirmed from additional records.

Origin Limitation: The post confirms that both meetings were operating by March 7, 2007. It does not establish which meeting began first, when either meeting began, who founded them, whether they were separate groups, or whether the same members maintained both meetings.

March 8, 2007 — Valencia and Dumaguete Meeting Information Quoted and Acknowledged

Historical Date: March 8, 2007, Dumaguete local time.

Source Timestamp: March 8, 2007, 7:11 AM GMT.

Dumaguete Local Timestamp: March 8, 2007, 3:11 PM Philippine time.

Poster: DumagueteInfo username “Goth.” The displayed profile location was Sweden.

• The poster quoted Mark C.’s complete meeting response.
• The quoted material retained the Wednesday 6:30 PM Valencia meeting.
• The quoted material retained the Valencia Catholic Cathedral meeting-room description.
• The quoted material retained the Thursday 6:30 PM Dumaguete meeting.
• The quoted material retained the Dumaguete Central Cathedral conference-room description.
• The poster thanked Mark C. for providing the information.

Research Value: This post confirms that Mark C.’s venue and schedule information was visible, quoted, and received as practical meeting information by another forum participant.

Limitation: The acknowledgment is not an independent confirmation that the poster attended either meeting.

February 8, 2011 — Valencia Church Meeting Publicly Documented

Historical Date: February 8, 2011

Source Type: Public DumagueteInfo forum discussion titled “are there any aa meetings.”

Research Status: Confirmed public historical reference.

Privacy Status: Forum usernames and the historical telephone number published in the discussion are intentionally omitted from this public record. The telephone number is retained privately as a possible research lead.

• On February 8, 2011, a person asked whether AA meetings were still available in the Dumaguete area and where they were held.
• The person stated that an earlier 2007 post had mentioned AA meetings in Dumaguete.
• A respondent confirmed that a meeting was being held on Wednesday at 6:30 PM.
• The meeting location was identified as the conference room of Our Lady of the Abandoned Catholic Cathedral in Valencia, Negros Oriental.
• The respondent provided a local telephone number for additional meeting information.
• The original 2007 post has not yet been located.
• The reference to the 2007 post is preserved as an unresolved research lead and is not yet treated as a confirmed 2007 meeting record.

Historical Significance: This is currently the earliest confirmed public local AA meeting reference preserved by the project. It confirms that an AA meeting was operating at Our Lady of the Abandoned Catholic Cathedral in Valencia by February 8, 2011.

Relationship To Oral History: The February 8, 2011 record corroborates the former member’s recollection that the Valencia church meeting was already operating before the source arrived in 2012. It also supports the source’s recollection that the Valencia church was the earliest formal AA meeting location known to the source.

Current Origin Lead: Based on the former member’s recollection and the February 8, 2011 public record, the Valencia church meeting is currently the strongest documented lead for the earliest formal AA meeting location in the Dumaguete and Valencia area. This does not yet establish when the meeting began, who started it, or whether an earlier meeting operated elsewhere.

Venue Name Variations: The February 8, 2011 forum discussion uses the name “Our Lady of the Abandoned Catholic Cathedral.” The September 29, 2013 archived directory uses “Lady of the Abandoned Cathedral.” Later archived directories use “Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish.” These references appear to describe the same Valencia church venue, but the original wording of each source is preserved separately.

March 7, 2007 — Research amendment: The original 2007 DumagueteInfo thread referenced in the February 8, 2011 discussion was subsequently recovered. The thread is titled “Alcoholics Anonymous in Dumaguete.” Its opening post, submitted by Mark C. under the username “Marky,” confirms that AA groups were operating in both Dumaguete and Valencia by March 7, 2007, Dumaguete local time.

March 7, 2007 — Venue and schedule amendment: A later post in the recovered thread documents a Wednesday 6:30 PM meeting in the Catholic Cathedral meeting room described as the large church by the park in Valencia and a separate Thursday 6:30 PM meeting in the conference room of Dumaguete Central Cathedral. Mark C. stated that he personally attended the Valencia meeting.

Effect on the February 8, 2011 research card: The statements above saying that the original 2007 post had not yet been located are retained as the research status at the time that card was created. The recovered March 7, 2007 thread now resolves that research lead and moves the earliest confirmed public local meeting evidence back from February 8, 2011 to March 7, 2007.

October 8, 2002 — Earlier-group amendment: Research supplied by the General Service Office Archives has now identified an earlier named Dumaguete AA group. A completed GSO Traveler’s Report dated October 8, 2002 documents The Dumaguete Gang in Dumaguete, meeting on Saturdays and Wednesdays at 2:00 PM. The report identifies Frank G. as group contact, lists Sammy and Mark as additional contacts, identifies the language as English, gives estimated membership as 4+, and records “Located in Candau-Ay” in the mailing-address field.

Effect on the Valencia origin lead: The former member’s recollection that the Valencia church meeting was the earliest formal meeting known to that source remains preserved as firsthand oral-history evidence. It can no longer be treated as the project’s earliest documented candidate for a formal local AA group, because The Dumaguete Gang is now documented in Dumaguete on October 8, 2002, more than four years before the recovered March 2007 Valencia and Dumaguete cathedral records.

Important limitation: The 2002 Traveler’s Report does not establish when The Dumaguete Gang began, who founded it, or its exact physical meeting venue. “Located in Candau-Ay” appears in the mailing-address field and should not presently be treated as proof of a specific meeting room or building.

2012 — Meetings Already Operating in Dumaguete and Valencia

Historical Date: 2012. The specific month and day are not yet established.

Source Type: Direct written recollection from a former Dumaguete AA member.

Research Status: Firsthand oral-history evidence. The recollection that the Valencia church meeting was already operating is corroborated by the February 8, 2011 public DumagueteInfo record. Other details still require additional confirmation and more precise dates.

Privacy Status: The source’s name and personal contact information are intentionally omitted from this public record.

• The source arrived in Dumaguete in 2012.
• The source recalled that AA had started in Dumaguete before the source arrived.
• A meeting with approximately five to six members was already operating when the source arrived.
• A meeting was being held at a church in Valencia, Negros Oriental.
• The source remembered the Valencia church meeting as the earliest formal meeting known to the source.
• The February 8, 2011 DumagueteInfo record confirms that a Wednesday 6:30 PM meeting at Our Lady of the Abandoned Catholic Cathedral in Valencia was publicly documented before the source arrived in 2012.
• The source also remembered an AA gathering in a coffee shop in downtown Dumaguete.
• The downtown coffee-shop gathering was remembered as informal and not conducted in a formal meeting format.
• The downtown coffee-shop venue has been identified through the site author’s direct recollection as 2nd Floor Cafe Rene on Rizal Boulevard.

Early Group Formation Recollection: The source believed that the earliest Dumaguete meetings were started by expatriates, including retired Americans or Europeans who moved to, visited, or lived in Dumaguete. The source did not describe the specific formation of the first group or identify the original members. This remains an oral-history lead requiring confirmation.

Additional Research Lead: The source identified another former local member who had moved to Dumaguete earlier and may know more about the earliest meetings, pioneer members, and how the first groups developed. The person’s identity is retained privately for research follow-up and is not published here.

2012 — Documentary-record amendment: Separate from the former member’s 2012 recollection, the 2012 International A.A. Directory preserved by the General Service Office Archives lists The Dumaguete Gang Group (Eng) in Dumaguete City.

• Group: The Dumaguete Gang Group (Eng)
• Day: Saturday
• Time: 14:00 / 2:00 PM
• Location: Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr
• City: Dumaguete City, Philippines
• Contacts: Sammy K. and Frank G.

Cross-record research lead: The October 8, 2002 Traveler’s Report also identifies The Dumaguete Gang and names Frank G. as group contact, with Sammy listed as an additional contact. The repeated group name, Frank G., and Sammy/Sammy K. create an important possible continuity link between the 2002 and 2012 records.

Continuity limitation: The records do not by themselves establish uninterrupted operation of The Dumaguete Gang from 2002 through 2012, and they do not establish that Sammy and Sammy K. are necessarily the same person.

Schedule comparison: The October 8, 2002 Traveler’s Report lists Saturdays and Wednesdays at 2:00 PM. The 2012 International A.A. Directory lists Saturday at 14:00. The currently preserved 2012 listing does not mention the Wednesday meeting.

2013 — Redemptorist Church Meeting Recalled as Beginning

Historical Date: Approximately 2013. The specific month and day are not yet established.

• The source recalled that another meeting began around 2013 at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church in Dumaguete.
• The meeting was remembered as being held in a meditation room beside the main church building.
• The September 29, 2013 archived AA Philippines meeting directory lists a Sunday meeting at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church and describes the location as being on the left side of the church.
• Further research is needed to confirm whether the meditation-room meeting remembered by the source was the same meeting preserved in the September 29, 2013 directory.

January 27, 2014 — Cafe Rene Meeting Documented

Historical Date: January 27, 2014

The earliest archived directory record currently preserved by this project that identifies the downtown meeting venue as 2nd Floor Cafe Rene is dated January 27, 2014.

Cafe Rene Venue Details:

• 2nd Floor Cafe Rene
• Rizal Boulevard
• Dumaguete City
• Next to Chin Loong Restaurant
• Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete, Central Visayas
• Open — English

Archived Directory Dates: January 27, 2014; January 28, 2014; February 27, 2014; April 7, 2014; May 9, 2014; June 20, 2014; July 21, 2014; August 17, 2014; August 22, 2014; October 20, 2014.

April 17, 2014 — Cafe Rene Meeting Confirmed Through Direct Recollection

Historical Date: April 17, 2014

Source Type: Site author’s direct recollection as a person who attended the meeting.

• The site author attended the meeting at 2nd Floor Cafe Rene and confirms that the meeting was operating there on April 17, 2014.
• The meeting had already been operating before April 17, 2014.
• The author cannot presently confirm a more specific earlier date through direct recollection.
• This direct recollection independently confirms Cafe Rene as the downtown coffee-shop venue described in the former member’s oral-history account.

After April 17, 2014 — Cafe Rene Closed and the Meeting Continued at Bethel Guest House

Historical Period: After April 17, 2014. The specific closing and relocation dates are not yet established.

• The former member recalled that the downtown coffee-shop gathering later continued at Bethel Guest House.
• The former member recalled that the meeting continued at Bethel Guest House for several years.
• The site author independently recalls that Cafe Rene closed not long after April 17, 2014.
• The site author recalls that the meeting had to move because Cafe Rene closed.
• Taken together, the two direct recollections preserve the venue sequence as 2nd Floor Cafe Rene followed by Bethel Guest House.
• The exact date when Cafe Rene closed has not yet been established.
• The exact date when the meeting began at Bethel Guest House has not yet been established.
• The archived directory records currently preserved continue listing Cafe Rene through October 20, 2014.
• The continued directory listings may indicate that Cafe Rene remained open longer than presently remembered, that the meeting moved later in 2014, or that some archived listings were not updated immediately after the venue changed. This remains unresolved.

Relationship To Preserved Records: Several parts of the oral-history account correspond with public and archived records.

• The February 8, 2011 DumagueteInfo discussion documents a Wednesday 6:30 PM meeting in the conference room of Our Lady of the Abandoned Catholic Cathedral in Valencia.
• The February 8, 2011 discussion refers to an earlier 2007 post about AA meetings in Dumaguete. The original 2007 post has not yet been located.
• The former member recalls that the Valencia church meeting was already operating upon arrival in 2012 and was the earliest formal meeting known to the source.
• The September 29, 2013 directory lists a church meeting in Valencia.
• The September 29, 2013 directory lists a downtown Dumaguete coffee-shop meeting at Café Antonio in the Spanish Heritage Building.
• The September 29, 2013 directory lists a meeting at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church.
• Archived directories beginning January 27, 2014 identify the downtown meeting venue as 2nd Floor Cafe Rene.
• The site author directly confirms that the Cafe Rene meeting was operating on April 17, 2014.
• The former member recalls that the downtown coffee-shop gathering later continued at Bethel Guest House.
• The site author recalls that Cafe Rene closed and that the meeting moved because the venue was no longer available.
• Archived directories later document meetings at Bethel Guest House beginning August 11, 2015.

Early Meeting and Venue Sequence Currently Preserved:

1. Our Lady of the Abandoned Catholic Cathedral in Valencia is publicly documented as an active AA meeting venue on February 8, 2011.
2. The February 8, 2011 discussion refers to an earlier 2007 post about AA meetings in Dumaguete, but that original post has not yet been recovered.
3. A former member recalls that the Valencia church meeting was already established upon arrival in 2012 and was the earliest formal meeting known to the source.
4. Café Antonio is listed as the downtown Dumaguete coffee-shop venue on September 29, 2013.
5. Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church is listed as a Dumaguete meeting venue on September 29, 2013.
6. 2nd Floor Cafe Rene is listed beginning January 27, 2014.
7. The site author confirms attending the Cafe Rene meeting on April 17, 2014.
8. Cafe Rene later closed.
9. The downtown meeting moved to or continued at Bethel Guest House.
10. Bethel Guest House is documented in the preserved directory records beginning August 11, 2015.

Current Earliest-Venue Finding: Our Lady of the Abandoned Catholic Cathedral in Valencia is currently the earliest confirmed local AA meeting venue preserved by this project. The February 8, 2011 public record corroborates the former member’s recollection that the Valencia church meeting was already operating before 2012 and was the earliest formal meeting location known to the source.

Current Origin Finding: Based on the evidence currently preserved, the Valencia church meeting is the leading documented candidate for the original formal AA meeting in the Dumaguete and Valencia area. This finding is based on the February 8, 2011 public record and the former member’s independent recollection. It does not yet prove that no earlier meeting operated elsewhere.

March 7, 2007 — Earliest-venue finding amendment: The recovered original DumagueteInfo thread now moves the earliest clearly described local AA meeting venues back from February 8, 2011 to March 7, 2007. On that date, Mark C. documented a Wednesday 6:30 PM meeting in the Catholic Cathedral meeting room in Valencia and a separate Thursday 6:30 PM meeting in the conference room of Dumaguete Central Cathedral.

October 8, 2002 — Earlier-group distinction: The GSO Traveler’s Report documents The Dumaguete Gang almost four and a half years earlier, but it does not establish an exact physical meeting venue. For that reason, October 8, 2002 is currently the earliest preserved named Dumaguete group and schedule record, while March 7, 2007 is currently the earliest preserved record providing clearly described local meeting venues together with exact days and times.

October 8, 2002 — Origin-finding amendment: The Valencia church meeting can no longer be treated as the leading documented candidate for the original formal AA group in the Dumaguete and Valencia area. The GSO Traveler’s Report now documents The Dumaguete Gang in Dumaguete on October 8, 2002. Earlier still, a national AA convention is documented in Dumaguete on February 3–5, 1995, and an AA Loner is documented in Negros Oriental on July 8, 1988.

Origin question remains unresolved: None of the currently preserved records establishes when the first AA meeting in Dumaguete or Negros Oriental actually began, who started it, whether The Dumaguete Gang developed from earlier local activity, or what relationship existed between the 2002 Dumaguete Gang and the Valencia and Dumaguete cathedral meetings documented in 2007.

Unresolved Venue Questions: The available information does not yet establish when the Valencia church meeting began, who started it, whether it was the first AA meeting in Negros Oriental, whether Café Antonio and Cafe Rene were the same meeting after a venue change, whether they briefly operated as separate gatherings, the exact date Cafe Rene closed, the exact date the meeting moved to Bethel Guest House, or whether another temporary venue existed between Cafe Rene and Bethel.

Early Meeting and Venue Sequence — Archival Amendment: The sequence above is retained as the earlier research-state sequence. Subsequent GSO archival findings add earlier evidence that must now be considered before the 2007–2015 venue sequence.

1. July 8, 1988: Jean S. is documented as a New Loner in Basak Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental. No regular meeting venue is established by this record.
2. February 3–5, 1995: The 13th National Convention of the Philippine Group is documented as being held in Dumaguete City. The convention venue has not yet been identified.
3. October 8, 2002: The Dumaguete Gang is documented as meeting Saturdays and Wednesdays at 2:00 PM. “Located in Candau-Ay” appears in the mailing-address field, but an exact physical meeting venue is not established.
4. Early 2004: Jeff L. describes meeting a Dumaguete AA member, encountering a gathering at an unidentified hotel, and attending an AA meeting that evening. The meeting venue is not identified.
5. March 7, 2007: Clearly described meeting venues are documented at the Catholic Cathedral meeting room in Valencia and the conference room of Dumaguete Central Cathedral.
6. 2012: The International A.A. Directory identifies Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr as the location of The Dumaguete Gang Group Saturday 2:00 PM meeting.
7. The previously preserved 2013–2015 venue sequence continues from the records already listed above.

Relationship To Preserved Records — GSO Archives Amendment: Later archival research substantially extends the documentary context surrounding the oral-history account.

• July 8, 1988: A GSO Loners-Internationalists Meeting bulletin lists Jean S. as a New Loner in Basak Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental. This documents AA presence in Negros Oriental but does not establish a regular local meeting.
• February 3–5, 1995: A March 16, 1995 letter from a member of the Bitoon Group in South Cebu records attendance at the 13th National Convention of the Philippine Group, held in Dumaguete City for three days on February 3, 4, and 5, 1995.
• October 8, 2002: A GSO Traveler’s Report documents The Dumaguete Gang, Saturdays and Wednesdays at 2:00 PM, English, estimated membership 4+, with Frank G. as group contact and Sammy and Mark as additional contacts.
• Early 2004: Jeff L., a Loner from Ormoc City, describes making AA contact in Dumaguete, meeting a local member for coffee, encountering approximately 20 recovering members of AA and other 12-step programs gathering before a convention on another nearby island, and attending an AA meeting that evening.
• March 7, 2007: The original DumagueteInfo thread later referenced in 2011 has now been recovered and documents active AA meetings in both Dumaguete and Valencia with exact meeting days, times, and clearly described venues.
• 2012: The International A.A. Directory lists The Dumaguete Gang Group (Eng), Saturday at 14:00, at Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr in Dumaguete City, with Sammy K. and Frank G. as contacts.

Research interpretation: The oral-history recollections remain valuable evidence of what a former local member encountered and understood after arriving in 2012. The GSO archival records now show that documented AA activity in Negros Oriental and Dumaguete reaches substantially further back than was known when the oral-history section was first assembled.

Research Value: The February 8, 2011 public record moves the earliest confirmed local AA meeting evidence back more than two years before the September 29, 2013 archived directory. It independently confirms that the Valencia church meeting was operating before the former member arrived in 2012 and supports the recollection that this was the earliest formal meeting location known to the source. The oral-history account also preserves active AA meeting activity in Dumaguete during 2012 and the remembered development of the downtown gathering from Cafe Rene to Bethel Guest House.

Current Follow-Up Questions:

• Can the original 2007 DumagueteInfo post about AA meetings be recovered?
• When did the meeting at Our Lady of the Abandoned Catholic Cathedral in Valencia begin?
• Who started or attended the Valencia church meeting before February 8, 2011?
• Was the conference room identified in 2011 the same room used by the meeting in later years?
• What month and day did the former member arrive in Dumaguete in 2012?
• What was the exact name of the Valencia church meeting operating in 2012?
• Who attended or organized the five-to-six-member meeting operating in 2012?
• Were the Valencia church meeting and the downtown coffee-shop gathering separate groups or meetings maintained by the same members?
• When did the downtown gathering begin at Cafe Rene?
• What was the relationship between the Café Antonio listing dated September 29, 2013 and the Cafe Rene listing beginning January 27, 2014?
• When did Cafe Rene close?
• When did the meeting move to Bethel Guest House?
• Was there an intermediate venue between Cafe Rene and Bethel Guest House?
• Why do archived directories continue listing Cafe Rene through October 20, 2014?
• Was the Redemptorist Church meditation-room meeting the same meeting listed in the September 29, 2013 directory?
• Were any Dumaguete or Valencia meetings operating before February 8, 2011?
• Who were the expatriate or local members involved in the earliest meetings?
• Did the earliest meetings develop through visiting members, expatriate residents, Cebu contacts, local members, or a combination of these?

Follow-Up Question Amendment: Several questions in the preceding research list have since been answered or substantially changed by later evidence. They remain preserved above as the research questions that existed when that card was created.

• Original 2007 DumagueteInfo post: Recovered. It confirms meetings in both Dumaguete and Valencia on March 7, 2007.
• Meetings before February 8, 2011: Confirmed. The recovered March 2007 public record documents Dumaguete and Valencia meetings, and the October 8, 2002 GSO Traveler’s Report documents The Dumaguete Gang.
• Earlier Negros Oriental AA activity: Confirmed at least as documentary presence. Jean S. is listed as a New Loner in Basak Zamboanguita on July 8, 1988.
• Earlier organized Dumaguete AA activity: Confirmed. The 13th National Convention of the Philippine Group was held in Dumaguete City on February 3–5, 1995.

New Follow-Up Questions:

• Was Jean S. connected with later AA groups or meetings in Dumaguete or elsewhere in Negros Oriental?
• Were regular AA meetings already operating in Dumaguete before the February 3–5, 1995 convention?
• Who organized and hosted the 1995 convention, and where in Dumaguete was it held?
• When was The Dumaguete Gang formed?
• Where exactly did The Dumaguete Gang meet in 2002?
• What did “Located in Candau-Ay” represent in the October 8, 2002 Traveler’s Report?
• What roles did Frank G., Sammy, and Mark have in the early Dumaguete group?
• Was the AA meeting attended by Jeff L. in early 2004 a meeting of The Dumaguete Gang?
• Which hotel hosted the approximately 20 recovering members of AA and other 12-step programs encountered by Jeff L.?
• What convention on another nearby island were the recovering people gathering in Dumaguete preparing to attend?
• Was Sammy K. in the 2012 International A.A. Directory the same person listed as Sammy in the 2002 Traveler’s Report?
• Did The Dumaguete Gang operate continuously between 2002 and 2012?
• When did The Dumaguete Gang begin meeting at Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr?
• What happened to the Wednesday 2:00 PM meeting documented in 2002?
• What relationship existed, if any, between The Dumaguete Gang and the Dumaguete and Valencia cathedral meetings documented in March 2007?

Current Research Note: The earliest confirmed local meeting venue currently preserved is Our Lady of the Abandoned Catholic Cathedral in Valencia, where a Wednesday 6:30 PM meeting was publicly documented on February 8, 2011. A former local member independently recalled that the Valencia church meeting was already established upon arrival in 2012 and was the earliest formal meeting known to the source. Based on those two sources, the Valencia church is currently the strongest documented origin lead for a formal AA meeting in the Dumaguete and Valencia area. The downtown gathering was held at 2nd Floor Cafe Rene and later continued at Bethel Guest House. The site author independently confirms attending the Cafe Rene meeting on April 17, 2014 and recalls that the venue later closed, requiring the meeting to move. The exact beginning of the Valencia meeting, the identities of the earliest members, the unresolved 2007 reference, the Cafe Rene closure date, and the date of the move to Bethel Guest House remain under research.

Source Record Date: The former member’s written recollection was received on July 17, 2026. This is source metadata and is not the historical date assigned to the events described above.

Current Research Note — Archival Amendment: Subsequent research has substantially extended the known chronology. The earliest documentary evidence currently preserved for AA presence in Negros Oriental is the July 8, 1988 New Loner listing for Jean S. in Basak Zamboanguita. A national AA convention is documented in Dumaguete City on February 3–5, 1995. The Dumaguete Gang is documented by a GSO Traveler’s Report on October 8, 2002, meeting Saturdays and Wednesdays at 2:00 PM with an estimated membership of 4+. A firsthand 2004 account documents local AA contact and meeting activity in Dumaguete. The recovered March 7, 2007 DumagueteInfo thread documents clearly described meeting venues and schedules in both Dumaguete and Valencia. The 2012 International A.A. Directory again lists The Dumaguete Gang, now at Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr.

Effect on the earlier oral-history interpretation: The former member’s recollections concerning Valencia, the downtown coffee-shop gathering, Cafe Rene, the Redemptorist meeting, and the later move to Bethel Guest House remain preserved as firsthand evidence. The new archival records do not erase those recollections. They instead provide an earlier documentary framework showing that AA activity in Dumaguete and Negros Oriental existed well before the period known firsthand to that source.

Current origin status: The actual beginning of AA in Dumaguete and Negros Oriental remains unresolved. The evidence currently establishes documented AA presence in Negros Oriental by 1988, a major AA event in Dumaguete by 1995, a named Dumaguete group by 2002, firsthand local AA activity in 2004, and publicly documented Dumaguete and Valencia meetings by 2007. None of these records should automatically be treated as the date on which AA first began locally.

Amendment Source Record Date: The GSO archival research used for these amendments was supplied by Sabrina S., Archives Research Assistant, General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous, and received on August 17, 2026 at 15:30. This is source metadata only and is not the historical date assigned to any of the events described above.

General Service Office Archives Research

This section preserves historical records identified through research by the General Service Office Archives of Alcoholics Anonymous in New York. The records were provided in response to a request for information concerning the history of AA in Dumaguete and Negros Oriental more broadly.

Archives Research Source: Sabrina S., Archives Research Assistant, General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Source Record Date: August 17, 2026, 15:30. This is the date and time the archival research response was received. It is source metadata and is not substituted for the historical dates of the records described below.

Source Organization: General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous, 475 Riverside Drive, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10115. Archives office telephone: (212) 870-3422. Website: www.aa.org.

Archives Research Scope: Sabrina S. searched the GSO Archives collections for records concerning the history of AA in Dumaguete and Negros Oriental and compiled the relevant records she was able to locate and share.

GSO Archives Anonymity Limitation: The GSO Archives advised that its anonymity policy prevents it from sharing the last names, personal addresses, or other contact information of AA members, past or present. The names and identifiers below therefore preserve the forms supplied by the Archives, including Jean S., Frank G., Sammy, Mark, Jeff L., and Sammy K., without attempting to identify the members further.

July 8, 1988 — New Loner Listed in Basak Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental

Historical Date: July 8, 1988

Source Type: General Service Office Archives record from the Loners-Internationalists Meeting.

Source Record: July 8, 1988 issue of the Loners-Internationalists Meeting, described by the GSO Archives as a confidential bulletin sent to AA “Loners.”

Research Status: Confirmed GSO archival record.

• The GSO Archives identified this as the earliest record located in its collections that references AA activity in Dumaguete or Negros Oriental.
• The July 8, 1988 bulletin contains a “New Loner” listing.
• The person listed is Jean S.
• The location supplied by the GSO Archives is Basak Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental, Philippines.
• The record establishes that an AA Loner associated with Negros Oriental was known to the General Service Office by July 8, 1988.

Historical Significance: This record moves the earliest currently preserved documentary evidence of AA presence in Negros Oriental back to July 8, 1988.

Important Limitation: The record identifies Jean S. as a New Loner in Negros Oriental. It does not establish that a regular AA group or meeting was operating in Zamboanguita, Dumaguete, or elsewhere in Negros Oriental on that date. It also does not establish when Jean S. arrived in the area, when Jean S. contacted the GSO, whether other AA members were nearby, or whether Jean S. later participated in the development of local meetings.

Current Research Questions: Was Jean S. connected with later AA activity in Dumaguete or elsewhere in Negros Oriental? Did Jean S. communicate with other AA members in Cebu or elsewhere in the Philippines? Are additional Loner correspondence records, bulletins, letters, or directory entries preserved elsewhere?

February 3–5, 1995 — 13th National Convention of the Philippine Group Held in Dumaguete City

Historical Dates: February 3, 4, and 5, 1995

Source Document Date: March 16, 1995

Source Type: Letter sent to the General Service Office by an AA member of the Bitoon Group in South Cebu, Philippines.

Research Status: Confirmed GSO archival correspondence.

• The letter was sent to the GSO on March 16, 1995.
• The writer was a member of the Bitoon Group in South Cebu, Philippines.
• The writer stated that he attended the 13th National Convention of the Philippine Group.
• The writer stated that the convention “was held in Dumaguete City for three days February 3, 4, 5, 1995.”
• The convention therefore took place in Dumaguete City on Friday, February 3; Saturday, February 4; and Sunday, February 5, 1995.
• The GSO Archives was not able to locate additional information in its collections concerning the events of this National Convention.

Historical Significance: This record confirms substantial organized AA activity in Dumaguete City by February 1995. A Philippine national convention lasting three days would have brought AA members to Dumaguete from outside the immediate local area and places Dumaguete within the documented national AA network by that date.

Important Limitation: The record does not identify the convention venue, attendance, speakers, program, organizers, participating groups, local host group, local meeting schedule, or the number of Dumaguete AA members involved. It also does not establish when AA meetings first began in Dumaguete.

Current Research Questions: What Dumaguete group or members hosted the February 3–5, 1995 convention? Where in Dumaguete City was it held? Were local meetings already operating before the convention? Are programs, flyers, registration records, photographs, newspaper notices, correspondence, or member recollections still preserved?

October 8, 2002 — The Dumaguete Gang Documented in GSO Traveler’s Report

Historical Date: October 8, 2002

Source Type: Completed General Service Office Traveler’s Report form.

Research Status: Confirmed GSO archival group record.

Traveler’s Report Purpose: The form asked members using the International Directory while traveling outside the United States and Canada to provide information about English-speaking AA group meetings they encountered that were not listed in the International Directory.

Form Instruction Preserved: “As you use this Directory during your travels outside of the U.S./Canada, we would appreciate receiving information on English-speaking A.A. group meetings that you do not find listed in this International Directory.”

Group Information Preserved on the Form:

• Country: Philippines
• City: Dumaguete
• Group Name: The Dumaguete Gang
• Meeting Day(s): Saturdays, Wednesdays
• Meeting Time: 2 pm
• Group Contact’s Name: Frank G.
• Mailing Address field: Located in Candau-Ay
• Language: English
• Estimated number of members: 4+
• Other listed contacts: Sammy, Mark

Schedule Interpretation: The form lists Saturdays and Wednesdays as the meeting days and provides one meeting time of 2 pm. The preserved information does not separately identify a different time for either day.

Location Wording Control: “Located in Candau-Ay” appears in the information provided under the form’s mailing-address field. The record should not presently be expanded into a more specific street address or assumed to identify a particular building or meeting room.

Historical Significance: This is currently the earliest GSO archival record preserved by this project that identifies a named AA group in Dumaguete City and provides meeting days, meeting time, language, estimated membership, and member contacts.

Membership Evidence: The Traveler’s Report gives an estimated membership of 4+ and names Frank G. as the group contact, with Sammy and Mark listed as additional contacts.

Important Limitation: The October 8, 2002 record does not establish when The Dumaguete Gang began, who founded it, whether Wednesday and Saturday were meetings of one group or separate local meetings, the exact meeting venue, how long the group had already been operating, or whether earlier Dumaguete groups existed.

Current Research Questions: Where exactly did The Dumaguete Gang meet in 2002? What was the relationship between the group and Candau-Ay? Who were Frank G., Sammy, and Mark in the history of the local group? Were any of these members active during the February 1995 convention? Are additional Traveler’s Reports, International Directory correspondence, group-registration records, or letters preserved for The Dumaguete Gang?

Early 2004 — Jeff L. Reports AA Contacts, Meeting Activity, and a Regional Gathering in Dumaguete

Historical Period: Early 2004. The exact month and day of the Dumaguete visit are not established by the archival summary.

Source Email Date: March 16, 2004

Source Type: Email sent to the General Service Office by Jeff L., identified in the GSO Archives record as a Loner from Ormoc City, Philippines.

Research Status: Confirmed GSO archival correspondence containing a firsthand travel account.

Date Control: March 16, 2004 is the date of Jeff L.’s email to the GSO, not necessarily the date of his Dumaguete visit. Jeff L. described activity occurring during approximately the previous two months and stated that the Dumaguete visit occurred “a few weeks later” than an earlier meeting experience in Cagayan de Oro.

Travel Context Preserved From the Email:

• Jeff L. wrote that he had attended “a couple of wonderful meetings” during the previous two months.
• He said he spent the first month traveling around different islands while trying to decide where he wanted to stay.
• He had several AA contacts and meeting leads obtained through the AA International Directory.
• He called an AA contact in Cagayan de Oro.
• The following night, local members assembled a meeting consisting of three men plus Jeff L.
• Jeff L. wrote that the three men had sobriety ranging from less than one year to 15 years.
• He said the men were interested in hearing from him because a visitor brought something fresh to the meeting.
• Jeff L. wrote that he was particularly interested in hearing the three men share their experience, strength, and hope.
• He described listening to their stories in halting English.
• He wrote that the experience reminded him that their differences were small compared with the common bond of alcoholism and recovery.
• He described the experience as another example of the AA program helping him remain sober for another 24 hours and summarized it as “one drunk talking to another.”

Dumaguete Account Preserved From the Email:

• Jeff L. wrote that a few weeks later he was in Dumaguete.
• He arrived with an email address of a fellow AA member.
• Jeff L. sent that member a text message on his cell phone.
• He learned that the member was temporarily in Thailand.
• The member in Thailand put Jeff L. in contact with another member in Dumaguete.
• The Dumaguete member met Jeff L. for coffee the next day.
• Jeff L. described their time together as good fellowship.
• The Dumaguete member then told Jeff L. that he had a surprise for him.
• The two walked to another hotel.
• At the hotel, Jeff L. began being introduced to approximately 20 recovering members of AA and some other 12-step programs.
• The source therefore does not identify all approximately 20 people as AA members; the gathering included members of AA and members of other 12-step programs.
• Jeff L. understood that a convention was scheduled for the following weekend on another nearby island.
• He described the convention as “sort of like a regional.”
• Jeff L. wrote that recovering people were gathering from all over the Philippines and were “staging in Dumaguete” before traveling to the convention.
• That evening Jeff L. attended an AA meeting in Dumaguete.
• He wrote that at the meeting he was not “THE stranger” because many people present had also gathered from elsewhere.
• He heard what he described as a wide variety of experience, strength, and hope.
• He concluded the account by writing that God had put him where he needed to be.

Historical Significance: The March 16, 2004 correspondence provides firsthand evidence of an active AA contact network in Dumaguete in early 2004. A visitor was able to reach a local member through another member, meet a Dumaguete member for coffee, encounter a gathering of approximately 20 recovering people from AA and other 12-step programs, and attend an AA meeting that evening.

Regional Significance: The account also shows Dumaguete functioning as a gathering or staging point for recovering people traveling to a convention on another nearby island. The exact convention, island, dates, sponsoring group, and relationship of that gathering to The Dumaguete Gang are not identified in the archival summary.

Venue Limitation: Jeff L. states that he and the local member walked to another hotel where the approximately 20 recovering people were gathered. The hotel is not named. The archival summary does not establish whether that hotel gathering and the AA meeting later that evening occurred in the same room, the same hotel, or separate locations.

Group Identification Limitation: The email does not name the Dumaguete group Jeff L. encountered or establish whether the evening meeting was a meeting of The Dumaguete Gang documented on October 8, 2002.

Current Research Questions: Which hotel hosted the gathering? What convention was being held the following weekend, and on which nearby island? Who was the member temporarily in Thailand? Who was the Dumaguete member who met Jeff L. for coffee? Was the evening meeting connected with The Dumaguete Gang? Were Frank G., Sammy, Mark, or other members identified in earlier or later records present?

2012 — The Dumaguete Gang Group Listed in the International A.A. Directory

Historical Date: 2012. The specific directory publication date, month, and day were not provided in the GSO Archives response.

Source Type: 2012 International A.A. Directory.

Research Status: Confirmed GSO archival directory record.

Directory Listing Preserved:

• Group: The Dumaguete Gang Group (Eng)
• Day: Saturday
• Time: 14:00
• Location: Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr
• City: Dumaguete City, Philippines
• Contacts: Sammy K. and Frank G.

Language: The directory identifies the group as “(Eng),” indicating English.

Time Conversion: The listed time of 14:00 corresponds to 2:00 PM.

Cross-Record Research Lead: The October 8, 2002 Traveler’s Report identifies The Dumaguete Gang, lists Frank G. as the group contact, and lists Sammy as one of two additional contacts. The 2012 International A.A. Directory again identifies The Dumaguete Gang and lists Sammy K. and Frank G. as contacts.

Continuity Limitation: The appearance of the same group name and the repeated appearance of Frank G. and a Sammy/Sammy K. are important research clues. The available records do not by themselves prove that the same meeting operated continuously from October 8, 2002 through 2012, that Sammy and Sammy K. are necessarily the same person, or that the meeting remained at one venue throughout that period.

Schedule Comparison: The October 8, 2002 Traveler’s Report lists The Dumaguete Gang as meeting on Saturdays and Wednesdays at 2 pm. The 2012 International A.A. Directory lists a Saturday meeting at 14:00. The available 2012 information does not mention a Wednesday meeting.

Venue Development: The 2002 record contains the wording “Located in Candau-Ay” in the mailing-address field. The 2012 directory specifically lists Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr as the group location. The available records do not establish when the group began meeting at Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr or whether the 2002 Candau-Ay reference represented a meeting venue, mailing location, member location, or another type of address.

Historical Significance: The 2012 International A.A. Directory provides a second GSO archival record of The Dumaguete Gang approximately a decade after the October 8, 2002 Traveler’s Report and preserves the group name, Saturday 2:00 PM meeting time, location, language, and two member contacts.

Current Research Questions: Was the 2012 group continuously connected with the group documented in 2002? When did the meeting move to Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr? What was the full name or location of “Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr”? What happened to the Wednesday 2:00 PM meeting listed in 2002? How does The Dumaguete Gang relate to the Valencia and Dumaguete cathedral meetings publicly documented in March 2007?

Cross-Record Historical Sequence Preserved by the GSO Archives Research:

1. July 8, 1988: Jean S. is listed as a New Loner in Basak Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental, Philippines.
2. February 3–5, 1995: The 13th National Convention of the Philippine Group is reported as having been held in Dumaguete City for three days.
3. March 16, 1995: A member of the Bitoon Group in South Cebu writes to the GSO and reports attending the February 3–5, 1995 convention in Dumaguete.
4. October 8, 2002: A GSO Traveler’s Report documents The Dumaguete Gang, meeting Saturdays and Wednesdays at 2 pm, with Frank G. as group contact, Sammy and Mark as additional contacts, English as the language, estimated membership of 4+, and “Located in Candau-Ay” entered in the mailing-address field.
5. Early 2004: Jeff L., a Loner from Ormoc City, visits Dumaguete, makes contact with local members, meets a Dumaguete member for coffee, encounters approximately 20 recovering members of AA and other 12-step programs gathering before a convention on another nearby island, and attends an AA meeting that evening.
6. March 16, 2004: Jeff L. sends the GSO the email preserving the early-2004 Dumaguete account.
7. 2012: The International A.A. Directory lists The Dumaguete Gang Group (Eng), Saturday at 14:00, at Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr in Dumaguete City, with Sammy K. and Frank G. as contacts.

Current Earliest Negros Oriental Finding From GSO Archives: July 8, 1988 is currently the earliest archival record identified by the GSO Archives that references AA activity in Dumaguete or Negros Oriental. It identifies Jean S. as a New Loner in Basak Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental. It does not establish a regular local meeting on that date.

Current Earliest Dumaguete Convention Finding From GSO Archives: February 3–5, 1995 is currently the earliest GSO archival record preserved by this project that establishes a major organized AA event in Dumaguete City.

Current Earliest Named Dumaguete Group Finding From GSO Archives: October 8, 2002 is currently the earliest GSO archival record preserved by this project that identifies a named Dumaguete AA group with meeting days, meeting time, language, estimated membership, and member contacts. The group is identified as The Dumaguete Gang.

Relationship To Later Public Records: These GSO archival records predate the March 7, 2007 DumagueteInfo records currently preserved elsewhere on this page. The March 2007 public records remain important because they independently document active meetings in both Dumaguete and Valencia and provide public venue and schedule information. The GSO archival material establishes that AA activity in Negros Oriental and Dumaguete reaches substantially further back than the surviving public web records.

GSO Archives Record-Coverage Note: Sabrina S. cautioned that the amount of information available in GSO collections about any group, area, or district depends on how much information those groups or members sent to the General Service Office over the years.

Important Historical Research Control: The GSO Archives also noted that it is common for AA groups to organize and begin holding meetings before contacting the General Service Office. Therefore, the dates preserved in GSO records should be treated as confirmed documentary evidence that activity existed by those dates, not automatically as the dates when the groups or meetings originally began.

Current Follow-Up Questions Created by the GSO Archives Research:

• Was Jean S. connected to later AA groups in Dumaguete, Zamboanguita, or elsewhere in Negros Oriental?
• Were AA meetings already operating in Dumaguete before the February 3–5, 1995 National Convention?
• Who organized and hosted the 13th National Convention of the Philippine Group in Dumaguete?
• Where was the 1995 convention held?
• Can convention programs, newspaper notices, hotel records, flyers, correspondence, photographs, or member recollections from February 1995 still be recovered?
• When was The Dumaguete Gang formed?
• Where did The Dumaguete Gang meet in 2002?
• What exactly did “Located in Candau-Ay” refer to in the October 8, 2002 Traveler’s Report?
• What roles did Frank G., Sammy, and Mark have in the early Dumaguete group?
• Was The Dumaguete Gang connected to members or activity associated with the 1995 convention?
• Which hotel hosted the approximately 20 recovering people encountered by Jeff L. in early 2004?
• What convention was being held on a nearby island after the 2004 Dumaguete gathering?
• Was the early-2004 evening meeting attended by Jeff L. a meeting of The Dumaguete Gang?
• Was Sammy K. in the 2012 directory the same Sammy listed in the October 8, 2002 Traveler’s Report?
• Did The Dumaguete Gang operate continuously between 2002 and 2012?
• When did The Dumaguete Gang begin meeting at Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr?
• What was the full identity and physical location of Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr?
• What happened to the Wednesday 2:00 PM Dumaguete Gang meeting documented in 2002?
• What relationship, if any, existed between The Dumaguete Gang and the Valencia and Dumaguete cathedral meetings documented in March 2007?
• Are additional International A.A. Directory editions, Traveler’s Reports, Loner correspondence, group records, letters, convention files, or database notes preserved that could fill the gaps between 1988, 1995, 2002, 2004, 2007, and 2012?

Source Packet Note: This section preserves the information supplied by Sabrina S., Archives Research Assistant, General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous, in the archival research response received August 17, 2026 at 15:30. The source-response date is retained as research metadata. The historical entries above remain dated according to the underlying archival records and events.

Why This History Matters

Local recovery history can disappear quietly. People move. Venues change. Old websites break. Forum posts get buried. Email lists vanish. Phone numbers stop working. The people who remember the earliest meetings may not always be easy to find later.

Preserving early Dumaguete AA history is not about nostalgia. It helps show that people have been finding help, starting again, and keeping meetings visible in Dumaguete for many years.

The history matters because it shows the door has been here for a long time.

Research Questions

• When did AA first begin in Dumaguete?
• What is the earliest confirmed Dumaguete meeting location?
• Were Dumaguete meetings active before September 29, 2013?
• Who helped start the earliest meetings?
• Did early Dumaguete meetings grow out of Cebu AA contacts?
• Which meeting locations existed before DumagueteAA.org came online?
• When was DumagueteAA.org first referenced by outside meeting directories?
• Which meetings closed, moved, renamed, or changed format over time?
• Which meetings were affected by COVID-era conditions?
• What records, flyers, forum posts, emails, or newspaper mentions still exist for Negros Oriental?

High-Level Timeline

July 8, 1988 — New Loner Listed in Basak Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental

A July 8, 1988 issue of the Loners-Internationalists Meeting, a confidential bulletin sent to AA “Loners,” lists Jean S. of Basak Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental, Philippines as a “New Loner.” This is currently the earliest documentary evidence of AA presence in Negros Oriental preserved by the project. The record does not establish that a regular local AA meeting or group was operating on that date.

February 3–5, 1995 — 13th National Convention Held in Dumaguete City

A member of the Bitoon Group in South Cebu, Philippines reported attending the 13th National Convention of the Philippine Group, held in Dumaguete City for three days on February 3, 4, and 5, 1995. The information is preserved in a letter sent to the General Service Office on March 16, 1995. The GSO Archives did not locate additional information about the convention venue, program, attendance, organizers, or local host group.

October 8, 2002 — The Dumaguete Gang Documented

A General Service Office Traveler’s Report dated October 8, 2002 documents The Dumaguete Gang in Dumaguete. The report lists meetings on Saturdays and Wednesdays at 2:00 PM, identifies the language as English, gives an estimated membership of 4+, names Frank G. as group contact, lists Sammy and Mark as additional contacts, and records “Located in Candau-Ay” in the mailing-address field. This is currently the earliest preserved record identifying a named Dumaguete AA group with a meeting schedule and membership information.

Early 2004 — Firsthand Account Documents Dumaguete AA Activity

Jeff L., a Loner from Ormoc City, described visiting Dumaguete during the weeks before his March 16, 2004 email to the General Service Office. He made contact with a local AA member, met another Dumaguete member for coffee, encountered approximately 20 recovering members of AA and some other 12-step programs gathering in Dumaguete before a convention on another nearby island, and attended an AA meeting that evening. The exact date of the Dumaguete visit, the hotel, the local group, and the convention have not yet been identified.

March 7, 2007 — Dumaguete and Valencia AA Meetings Publicly Documented

The recovered DumagueteInfo thread “Alcoholics Anonymous in Dumaguete” confirms that AA groups were operating in both Dumaguete and Valencia by March 7, 2007, Dumaguete local time. Later that day, Mark C. documented a Wednesday 6:30 PM meeting in the Catholic Cathedral meeting room described as the large church by the park in Valencia and a separate Thursday 6:30 PM meeting in the conference room of Dumaguete Central Cathedral. This remains the earliest recovered public record currently preserved that provides clearly described local meeting venues together with exact days and times.

2012 — The Dumaguete Gang Listed at Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr

The 2012 International A.A. Directory lists The Dumaguete Gang Group (Eng) meeting on Saturday at 14:00 at Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr in Dumaguete City, Philippines, with Sammy K. and Frank G. listed as contacts. The same group name and Frank G. also appear in the October 8, 2002 Traveler’s Report, creating an important possible continuity link, although uninterrupted operation between 2002 and 2012 has not yet been established.

Before September 29, 2013 — Research in Progress

The early history of AA in Dumaguete before the earliest confirmed online Negros Oriental meeting record is still being researched. Open questions include when the first Dumaguete meeting began, who helped start it, and whether early meetings grew from Cebu AA contacts, visiting members, local members, or other regional connections.

Archival amendment: This earlier research-state entry is intentionally retained. Subsequent research has now documented AA presence in Negros Oriental by July 8, 1988, a national AA convention in Dumaguete on February 3–5, 1995, The Dumaguete Gang by October 8, 2002, firsthand Dumaguete AA activity in early 2004, publicly documented Dumaguete and Valencia meetings by March 7, 2007, and The Dumaguete Gang again in the 2012 International A.A. Directory. These findings substantially extend the chronology but still do not establish when AA first began in Dumaguete or Negros Oriental.

September 29, 2013 — Dumaguete and Valencia Meetings Listed Online

An archived AA Philippines Visayas meeting directory captured on September 29, 2013 lists AA meetings in Dumaguete City and Valencia, Negros Oriental. This remains the earliest confirmed online AA Philippines Visayas meeting-directory record preserved in this project showing AA meeting activity in Negros Oriental.

January 27–28, 2014 — Friday Dumaguete Venue Change Documented

The January 2014 archived directory preserves a Friday meeting at 2nd Floor Cafe Rene on Rizal Boulevard. This differs from the September 29, 2013 listing, which showed the Friday meeting at Café Antonio in the Spanish Heritage Building.

May 9, 2014 — Siaton Meeting Appears

A Siaton seaside beginners open meeting appears in the May 9, 2014 archived directory at Erlinda’s on the National Highway at K 56.2, Siaton City.

June 20, 2014 — Provincial Jail Outreach Marked Closed

The June 20, 2014 archived directory marks the Provincial Jail outreach program as closed, with a note to see the coordinator.

January 2015 — DumagueteAA.org Documented Online

The oldest documented date currently established for DumagueteAA.org is January 2015.

August 11, 2015 — Bethel Guest House, Rizal Boulevard Park, UCCP Siaton, and Naspri Restaurant Appear

The August 11, 2015 archived directory introduces several important meeting-location references, including Bethel Guest House, Rizal Boulevard near the park gazebo, UCCP Church in Siaton, and Naspri Restaurant in Valencia.

February 5–7, 2016 — Philippines AA National Convention in Dumaguete

Recovered records document the 34th Annual Philippines AA National Convention held in Dumaguete City at Bethel Guest House from February 5–7, 2016. Convention materials show participation from multiple Philippine areas and international connections.

View the 2016 Philippines AA National Convention archive

July 16, 2016 — “Dumaguete AA Website” Referenced in Schedule

The archived AA Philippines schedule captured on July 16, 2016 includes a “Dumaguete AA Website” reference above the Negros Oriental meeting schedule.

August 11, 2020 — COVID-Era Schedule Adds More Locations

The August 11, 2020 schedule preserves additional Negros Oriental locations including Romana Alar Beach in Dauin, Municipal Tourism Office in Valencia, and Talay Mental Rehabilitation Center in Dumaguete. This capture also appears in the COVID-era research group of records.

2021 — Bacong and Dauin Meeting Announcement Preserved

A public online review reference from 2021 preserves meeting activity in Bacong and Dauin, including La Chocolate French Bakery and UZI Beach.

2022–2023 — Same AA Philippines Directory Structure Continues

Archived captures from 2022 and February 4, 2023 continue showing the AA Philippines schedule structure with Dumaguete AA Website references and multiple Negros Oriental locations.

January 29–31, 2027 — 42nd Philippines AA Convention Scheduled in Dumaguete

The 42nd Philippines AA Convention is scheduled for January 29–31, 2027, in Dumaguete City at Bethel Guest House. Details may change and should be confirmed with organizers.

View 2027 Philippines AA Convention information

Master Historical Meeting Location Index

This index preserves all Negros Oriental and Dumaguete-area meeting locations gathered so far from the current research set. It is intentionally rough. The purpose is to avoid losing venue names, landmarks, and historical wording.

• Calvary Chapel Tr Ctr
  Dumaguete City, Philippines
  The Dumaguete Gang Group (Eng)
  Saturday — 14:00 / 2:00 PM
  English
  Contacts preserved in source: Sammy K. and Frank G.
  Documented: 2012 International A.A. Directory.
• Provincial Jail
  Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas
  In front of LTO Office
  Beside Lamberto Macias Sports Complex
  Documented: September 29, 2013; January 27, 2014; January 28, 2014; February 27, 2014; April 7, 2014; May 9, 2014; June 20, 2014; July 21, 2014; August 17, 2014; August 22, 2014; October 20, 2014; August 11, 2015; July 16, 2016; November 19, 2016; January 21, 2017; August 11, 2020; May 20, 2022; August 12, 2022; October 2, 2022; December 6, 2022; February 4, 2023.
• Lady of the Abandoned Cathedral
  Rizal Street
  Valencia, Negros Oriental
  Closed — English
  Documented: September 29, 2013.
• Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
  Rizal Street
  Valencia, Negros Oriental
  Closed — English
  Documented: January 27, 2014; January 28, 2014; February 27, 2014; April 7, 2014; May 9, 2014; June 20, 2014; July 21, 2014; August 17, 2014; August 22, 2014; October 20, 2014; August 11, 2015; July 16, 2016; November 19, 2016; January 21, 2017; August 11, 2020; May 20, 2022; August 12, 2022; October 2, 2022; December 6, 2022; February 4, 2023.
• Café Antonio
  2/F Spanish Heritage Building
  Sta. Catalina Street corner San Juan Street
  Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
  Open — English
  Documented: September 29, 2013.
• 2nd Floor Cafe Rene
  Rizal Boulevard
  Dumaguete City
  Next to Chin Loong Restaurant
  Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete, Central Visayas
  Open — English
  Documented: January 27, 2014; January 28, 2014; February 27, 2014; April 7, 2014; May 9, 2014; June 20, 2014; July 21, 2014; August 17, 2014; August 22, 2014; October 20, 2014.
• Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church
  Left side of church
  Geroge Sy Street corner Manuel L. Teves Street
  Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
  Open — English
  Documented: September 29, 2013.
• Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church
  George Sy Street
  Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas, Philippines
  Left side of church
  Open — English
  Documented: January 27, 2014; January 28, 2014; February 27, 2014; April 7, 2014; May 9, 2014; June 20, 2014; July 21, 2014; August 17, 2014; August 22, 2014; October 20, 2014; August 11, 2015; July 16, 2016; November 19, 2016; January 21, 2017; August 11, 2020; May 20, 2022; August 12, 2022; October 2, 2022; December 6, 2022; February 4, 2023.
• Erlinda’s
  National Highway at K 56.2
  Siaton City
  50 km below Dumaguete
  Siaton Seaside Beginners Open Meeting / Acetone Seaside Beginners Open Meeting
  Visayan / English
  Documented: May 9, 2014; June 20, 2014; July 21, 2014; August 17, 2014; August 22, 2014; October 20, 2014.
• UCCP Church
  Siaton City, Negros Oriental
  N/E corner of Public Market
  Steps On the Beach
  Open Literature Study Meeting
  Visayan / English
  Documented: August 11, 2015; July 16, 2016; November 19, 2016; January 21, 2017; August 11, 2020; May 20, 2022; August 12, 2022; October 2, 2022; December 6, 2022; February 4, 2023.
• Naspri Restaurant
  Valencia, Negros Oriental
  Big Book Meeting
  Open — English
  Documented: August 11, 2015.
• Bethel Guest House
  Rizal Boulevard
  Dumaguete
  5th Floor / Top Floor / 5th Floor (Top)
  Top Floor Meeting; High Noon 24 Hour Group Meeting; New Beginnings fallback venue; New Beginnings Tuesday noon venue
  Open — English / Casual Open English depending on listing
  Documented: August 11, 2015; July 16, 2016; November 19, 2016; January 21, 2017; August 11, 2020; May 20, 2022; August 12, 2022; October 2, 2022; December 6, 2022; February 4, 2023.
• Rizal Boulevard Park Gazebo Area
  Rizal Boulevard
  Dumaguete City
  On the Boulevard, near park gazebo
  In the Park Meeting
  Casual / Open / English
  Documented: August 11, 2015.
• Blue Monkey Grill
  Dumaguete City
  New Beginnings
  Casual / Open / English
  Source note: if venue closed, proceed to Bethel Guest House, Rizal Boulevard, 5th Floor (Top)
  Documented: July 16, 2016; November 19, 2016; January 21, 2017; August 11, 2020; May 20, 2022; August 12, 2022; October 2, 2022; December 6, 2022; February 4, 2023.
• Romana Alar Beach
  J. Basa Street
  Dauin, 6217 Negros Oriental, Philippines
  Dauin listing
  Documented: August 11, 2020; May 20, 2022; August 12, 2022; October 2, 2022; December 6, 2022; February 4, 2023.
• Municipal Tourism Office
  Luzuriaga Street
  Valencia, Negros Oriental, Philippines
  Documented: August 11, 2020; May 20, 2022; August 12, 2022; October 2, 2022; December 6, 2022; February 4, 2023.
• Talay Rehab Center / Talay Mental Rehabilitation Center
  Talay
  Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas, Philippines
  Documented: August 11, 2020; May 20, 2022; August 12, 2022; October 2, 2022; December 6, 2022; February 4, 2023.
• La Chocolate French Bakery
  Bacong
  Historical public online review reference
  Documented: 2021.
• UZI Beach
  Dauin
  Historical public online review reference
  Documented: 2021.

Historical References Log

Historical Reference #001 — Bacong and Dauin Meeting Announcement (2021)

Reference Year: 2021

Date Added To History Project: June 2026

Source Type: Public online review

Research Status: Historical reference preserved

Locations Mentioned: La Chocolate French Bakery, Bacong, and UZI Beach, Dauin.

Historical Record:

• Monday meeting — 11:00 AM
• Wednesday meeting — 11:00 AM
• Friday meeting — 11:00 AM
• Thursday beach meeting — 11:00 AM

Research Notes: This public reference documents meeting activity in Bacong and Dauin during 2021 and provides evidence that meetings were being publicly announced outside central Dumaguete during that period.

Current Status: Historical reference only. Current meeting information should be confirmed separately.

Historical Reference #002 — Negros Oriental Meeting Directory Listing (September 29, 2013)

Reference Date: September 29, 2013

Date Added To History Project: June 2026

Source Type: Archived AA Philippines Visayas meeting directory

Research Status: Confirmed historical record

Source Heading: Visayas – Negros Oriental Bacolod Dumaguete Valencia

Area Preserved: Negros Oriental

Historical Meeting Records Preserved:

• Tuesday — 10:15 AM
  Provincial Jail
  In front LTO Office
  Beside Lamberto Macias Sports Complex
  Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
• Wednesday — 6:30 PM
  Lady of the Abandoned Cathedral
  Rizal Street
  Valencia, Negros Oriental
  Closed — English
• Friday — 9:00 AM
  Café Antonio
  2/F Spanish Heritage Building
  Sta. Catalina Street corner San Juan Street
  Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
  Open — English
• Sunday — 6:30 PM
  Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church
  Left side of church
  Geroge Sy Street corner Manuel L. Teves Street
  Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
  Open — English

Privacy Note: Personal names, direct phone numbers, and hotline numbers from the source have been omitted.

Historical Reference #003 — Negros Oriental Meeting Directory Listing (January 27–28, 2014)

Reference Dates: January 27, 2014 and January 28, 2014

Source Type: Archived AA Philippines Visayas meeting directory

Research Status: Confirmed historical record

• Tuesday — 10:30 AM
  Provincial Jail, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas
  In front LTO Office
  Beside Lamberto Macias Sports Complex
• Wednesday — 6:30 PM
  Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
  Rizal Street
  Valencia, Negros Oriental
  Closed — English
• Friday — 9:00 AM
  2nd Floor Cafe Rene
  Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete City
  Next to Chin Loong Restaurant, Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete, Central Visayas
  Open — English
• Sunday — 6:30 PM
  Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church
  George Sy Street
  Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas, Philippines
  Left side of church
  Open — English

Research Notes: Compared with September 29, 2013, the Friday Dumaguete listing changed from Café Antonio to 2nd Floor Cafe Rene. The Valencia listing wording changed from Lady of the Abandoned Cathedral to Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish.

Historical Reference #004 — Negros Oriental Meeting Directory Listing (February 27, 2014 and April 7, 2014)

Reference Dates: February 27, 2014 and April 7, 2014

Source Type: Archived AA Philippines Visayas meeting directory

• Tuesday — 10:30 AM
  Provincial Jail, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas
  In front LTO Office
  Beside Lamberto Macias Sports Complex
• Wednesday — 6:30 PM
  Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
  Rizal Street
  Valencia, Negros Oriental
  Closed — English
• Friday — 9:00 AM
  2nd Floor Cafe Rene
  Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete City
  Next to Chin Loong Restaurant, Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete, Central Visayas
  Open — English
• Sunday — 6:30 PM
  Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church
  George Sy Street
  Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas, Philippines
  Left side of church
  Open — English

Research Notes: Same Negros Oriental meeting-location structure as January 2014, with personal contact information omitted.

Historical Reference #005 — Siaton Meeting Added (May 9, 2014)

Reference Date: May 9, 2014

• Tuesday — 10:30 AM
  Provincial Jail, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas
  In front LTO Office
  Beside Lamberto Macias Sports Complex
• Wednesday — 6:30 PM
  Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
  Rizal Street
  Valencia, Negros Oriental
  Closed — English
• Friday — 9:00 AM
  2nd Floor Cafe Rene
  Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete City
  Next to Chin Loong Restaurant, Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete, Central Visayas
  Open — English
• Saturday — 2:00 PM
  Siaton Seaside Beginners-Open meeting
  Erlinda’s — National Hwy at K 56.2
  Siaton City
  50 K below Dumaguete
  Visayan / English
• Sunday — 6:30 PM
  Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church
  George Sy Street
  Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas, Philippines
  Left side of church
  Open — English

Historical Reference #006 — Provincial Jail Outreach Marked Closed (June 20, 2014 and July 21, 2014)

Reference Dates: June 20, 2014 and July 21, 2014

• Tuesday — 10:30 AM
  CLOSED Outreach Program. SEE COORDINATOR.
  Provincial Jail, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas
  In front LTO Office
  Beside Lamberto Macias Sports Complex
• Wednesday — 6:30 PM
  Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
  Rizal Street
  Valencia, Negros Oriental
  Closed — English
• Friday — 9:00 AM
  2nd Floor Cafe Rene
  Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete City
  Next to Chin Loong Restaurant, Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete, Central Visayas
  Open — English
• Saturday — 2:00 PM
  Siaton Seaside Beginners-Open meeting
  Erlinda’s — National Hwy at K 56.2
  Siaton City
  50 K below Dumaguete
  Visayan / English
• Sunday — 6:30 PM
  Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church
  George Sy Street
  Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas, Philippines
  Left side of church
  Open — English

Historical Reference #007 — Acetone Seaside Listing Appears (August 17, 2014, August 22, 2014, October 20, 2014)

• Tuesday — 10:30 AM
  CLOSED Outreach Program. SEE COORDINATOR.
  Provincial Jail, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas
  In front LTO Office
  Beside Lamberto Macias Sports Complex
• Wednesday — 6:30 PM
  Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
  Rizal Street
  Valencia, Negros Oriental
  Closed — English
• Friday — 8:00 AM
  Acetone Seaside Beginners-Open meeting
  Erlinda’s — National Hwy at K 56.2
  Siaton City
  50 K below Dumaguete
  Visayan / English
• Friday — 9:00 AM
  2nd Floor Cafe Rene
  Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete City
  Next to Chin Loong Restaurant, Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete, Central Visayas
  Open — English
• Sunday — 6:30 PM
  Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church
  George Sy Street
  Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas, Philippines
  Left side of church
  Open — English

Historical Reference #008 — August 11, 2015 Directory

• Monday — 8:30 AM
  Steps On the Beach
  Open Literature Study Meeting
  UCCP Church, Siaton City, Negros Oriental
  N/E corner of Public Market
  Visayan / English
• Monday — 10:00 AM
  Big Book Meeting
  Naspri Restaurant
  Valencia, Negros Oriental
  Open — English
• Tuesday — 9:00 AM
  CLOSED Outreach Program. SEE COORDINATOR.
  Provincial Jail, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas
  In front LTO Office
  Beside Lamberto Macias Sports Complex
• Tuesday — 12:00 PM
  High Noon 24 Hour Group Meeting
  Bethel Guest House, Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete
  5th Floor
  Open — English
• Wednesday — 6:00 PM
  Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
  Rizal Street, Valencia, Negros Oriental
  Closed — English
• Friday — 10:30 AM
  Top Floor Meeting
  Bethel Guest House, Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete
  5th Floor
  Open — English
• Saturday — 10:00 AM
  In the Park Meeting
  Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete City
  On the Boulevard, near park gazebo
  Casual / Open / English
• Sunday — 6:30 PM
  Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church
  George Sy Street, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas, Philippines
  Left side of church
  Open — English

Historical Reference #009 — Dumaguete AA Website Listed in AA Philippines Schedule (July 16, 2016; November 19, 2016; January 21, 2017)

Schedule Note: “Dumaguete AA Website” appears at the top of the Negros Oriental meeting schedule.

• Monday — 8:30 AM
  Steps On the Beach
  Open Literature Study Meeting
  UCCP Church, Siaton City, Negros Oriental
  N/E corner of Public Market
  Visayan / English
• Tuesday — 9:00 AM
  CLOSED Outreach Program. SEE COORDINATOR.
  Provincial Jail, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas
  In front LTO Office
  Beside Lamberto Macias Sports Complex
• Tuesday — 12:00 PM
  New Beginnings
  Bethel Guest House, Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete
  5th Floor
  Casual / Open / English
• Wednesday — 6:00 PM
  Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
  Rizal Street, Valencia, Negros Oriental
  Closed — English
• Friday — 10:30 AM
  Top Floor Meeting
  Bethel Guest House, Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete
  5th Floor
  Open — English
• Saturday — 11:00 AM
  New Beginnings
  Blue Monkey Grill, Dumaguete City
  Source note: if venue closed, proceed to Bethel Guest House, Rizal Boulevard, 5th Floor (Top)
  Casual / Open / English
• Sunday — 6:30 PM
  Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church
  George Sy Street, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas, Philippines
  Left side of church
  Open — English

Historical Reference #009A — DumagueteInfo Reference to Dumaguete AA Meeting Schedule (July 20, 2022)

Reference Date: July 20, 2022

Source Type: Public DumagueteInfo discussion

Research Status: Historical web reference preserved

Historical Record: A DumagueteInfo discussion dated July 20, 2022 referenced the Dumaguete AA Meeting Schedule resource. A preserved version of that resource is available at Dumaguete AA Meeting Schedule.

Research Notes: This reference provides evidence that the meeting-schedule resource remained publicly visible and useful as a source of local AA meeting information in July 2022. It helps connect earlier Dumaguete AA online meeting-schedule records with later public community references.

Current Status: Historical reference only. Current meeting information should be confirmed through current Dumaguete AA meeting resources.

Historical Reference #010 — COVID-Era / Later Directory Structure (August 11, 2020; May 20, 2022; August 12, 2022; October 2, 2022; December 6, 2022; February 4, 2023)

Schedule Note: “Dumaguete AA Website” appears at the top of the Negros Oriental meeting schedule. This record group is preserved as COVID-era and post-COVID-era directory evidence.

• Monday — 8:30 AM
  Steps On the Beach
  Open Literature Study Meeting
  UCCP Church, Siaton City, Negros Oriental
  N/E corner of Public Market
  Visayan / English
• Monday — 3:45 PM
  Municipal Tourism Office
  Luzuriaga Street
  Valencia, Negros Oriental, Philippines
• Tuesday — 9:00 AM
  CLOSED Outreach Program. SEE COORDINATOR.
  Provincial Jail, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas
  In front LTO Office
  Beside Lamberto Macias Sports Complex
• Tuesday — 12:00 PM
  New Beginnings
  Bethel Guest House, Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete
  5th Floor
  Casual / Open / English
• Wednesday — 3:45 PM
  Municipal Tourism Office
  Luzuriaga Street
  Valencia, Negros Oriental, Philippines
• Wednesday — 6:00 PM
  Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
  Rizal Street, Valencia, Negros Oriental
  Closed — English
• Thursday — 11:00 AM
  Dauin, Negros Oriental
  Romana Alar Beach
  J. Basa Street, Dauin, 6217 Negros Oriental, Philippines
• Friday — 10:30 AM
  Top Floor Meeting
  5th Floor, Bethel Guest House, Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines
  Open — English
• Saturday — 11:00 AM
  New Beginnings
  Blue Monkey Grill, Dumaguete City
  Source note: if venue closed, proceed to Bethel Guest House, Rizal Boulevard, 5th Floor (Top)
  Casual / Open / English
• Saturday — 2:00 PM
  Talay Rehab Center
  Talay Mental Rehabilitation Center, Talay, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas, Philippines
• Sunday — 6:30 PM
  Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church
  George Sy Street, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Central Visayas, Philippines
  Left side of church
  Open — English

How Information Is Reviewed

Historical information is reviewed before being added to this page. Some information may be confirmed by documents. Some may come from interviews or recollections. Some may remain marked as research in progress until better evidence is found.

Confirmed

Supported by recovered records, public references, convention materials, archived pages, or multiple reliable sources.

Probable

Supported by one credible source or interview but still needing additional confirmation.

Research in Progress

Mentioned in older records, memory, or local discussion but not yet confirmed strongly enough to present as settled history.

Sources Being Used

• DumagueteAA.org historical pages and recovered site records
• Archived AA Philippines meeting directories
• General Service Office Archives records, including Loners-Internationalists Meeting bulletins, correspondence, Traveler’s Reports, and International A.A. Directory records
• DumagueteInfo forum discussions and public local references
• Convention announcements, agendas, registration materials, and correspondence
• Internet Archive and older web captures where available
• Interviews with long-time AA members and regional contacts
• Cebu AA historical recollections and member memories where directly relevant to Negros Oriental history
• Old meeting schedules, flyers, emails, and public notices
• Newspaper or event-directory references when useful, reviewed carefully for accuracy

Not every source is equally reliable. Event directories and copied listings may contain errors. Original records, direct recollections, archived meeting directories, and multiple-source confirmation are preferred.

Help Preserve Dumaguete AA History

If you have information about the history of AA in Dumaguete, Valencia, Bacong, Dauin, Sibulan, Siaton, Talay, or nearby Negros Oriental areas, you are welcome to send it for review.

Useful information may include old meeting schedules, flyers, public announcements, convention materials, newspaper references, forum links, photographs of public documents, or recollections about early meetings and locations.

Please do not send private member information, full names, personal sobriety details, private phone numbers, private email addresses, or identifying information about AA members unless it is already public and appropriate to preserve.

Contact: hello@dumagueteaa.org

Name or nickname

Email Address

Mobile Number

SelectHistorical Meeting LocationHistorical Meeting ScheduleArchive UR or ReferenceHistorical Website ReferenceConvention History or Convention MaterialHistorical Correction or UpdateOther

Historical Information, Correction, or Source. *Example: • Historical meeting location • Old meeting schedule • Archived website URL • Convention material • Forum discussion • Correction to existing information Please do not include private AA member names, private phone numbers, private email addresses, or personal sobriety details.0 / 2000

Privacy Confirmation *I understand that private AA member names, private phone numbers, private email addresses, and personal sobriety details should not be submitted.I understand.

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Related Dumaguete AA Resources

Current Help and Meetings

• Current AA meetings in Dumaguete
• Need help with a drinking problem?
• New to Dumaguete AA meetings?
• Can you just turn up to an AA meeting?

History and Convention Records

• 2016 Philippines AA National Convention archive
• Are there AA meetings in the Philippines?
• 2027 Philippines AA Convention information

Historical Meeting Schedule Resources

The historical Dumaguete AA Meeting Schedule resource has been preserved to maintain access to older links, bookmarks, search references, and historical meeting-information records associated with Dumaguete AA’s online presence.

• Dumaguete AA Meeting Schedule Preservation Copy

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Research note: This is a continuing historical research project. New records may extend the timeline, clarify earlier findings, or add context to what is already preserved here.

Meeting schedules and locations are preserved as historical records and may no longer be current. For meetings happening now, see AA Meetings in Dumaguete.

AA member names are preserved as first name and last initial where historically useful. Private phone numbers, email addresses, residential addresses, and other personal contact information are not published.

DumagueteAA.org has provided local AA meeting information since 2015. Today, Dumaguete AA Meetings also preserves and researches the continuing history of Alcoholics Anonymous in Dumaguete and Negros Oriental.