8 th ASC-EAO Regional CONGRESS April 23-26, 2014, Manila, Philippines PHILIPPINE NORTH PROVINCIAL REPORT

Part I SITUATIONER I. Statistics of the Province Increase in No. % No. of Centers * 1 8% W/ Less than 10 Cooperators W/ More than 10 Cooperators % Total % No. of Centers for Erection % (Sta. Rosa & Honiara, S I) No. of Cooperators in the Province Active no stat. 260 Inactive 114 Total 374 New Cooperators ( )* * (11) (16%) No. of Aspirants (30) (50%) No. of Apostolic Projects +3 *San Jose ** Took their Promise last 3 yrs ( 24 in 2011, 13 in 2012 & 22 in 2013)

II. Status of Area of Action ( based on the Macau Congress) In 2008, new Provincial Council came up with its Three Year Strategic Plan called Apostolic Plan A. Vision A true Salesian living in the world for the young. B. Mission To save souls particularly the young and the abandoned by developing the Salesian Cooperators as better Christians, living the Salesian Spirit and adopting the Preventive System of reason, religion and loving kindness in dealing with the young in communion with the Salesian Family. C. Focus Areas - Continuing Formation - Increase in Number & Attendance - Center-Wide Projects - Better Information & Accountability - Animation of the Centers

III. Current Situation in the Province A. Formation - Formation handled by Cooperators in many local centers. - Quarterly formation encounters with the Salesian Family - Formation references promptly disseminated to local coordinators B. Apostolic Works Canlubang – medical mission to marginalized sector of the Parish and Laguna -Teaching catechism to TVET scholars of DB Canlubang Mayapa - visit of migrant youths in their dormitories Parañaque – tutoring under the Alternative Learning System, Accreditation and Equivalency Program (ALS A&E) for indigent teenagers to be accelerated to High School or College level (New) Makati – value formation for 200 girls of the Ampon ni Don Bosco studying in the TVET Sta. Mesa – feeding Oratorians, donation of food supplies to Laura Vicuna Center & Visitation of ailing and inactive members of the local center Mandaluyong- Christmas gift giving at Calauan and active involvement in parish activities Tondo – cooking and attending to the needs of migrant youth in DBYC Pampanga - feeding program three times a week of 30 malnourished and 85 under nourished children; preparation for Holy communion of 300 children (new) Tarlac - preparing kids for 1st communion; teaching catechism to 342 aetas children, (new) San Jose - tutoring for the ALS A&E of impoverished teenagers Papua New Guinea – Sunday catechism & block rosary every Saturday with Mary Help of Christian

Fre=e-0rp=w- io Feeding of undernourished and malnourished children in Pampanga

Alternative Learning System, Accreditation & Equivalency Program in Parañaque

TEACHING CATECHISM TO SCHOOL KIDS

TEACHING CATECHISM TO THE AETAS

C. Animation of Local Centers ~ Primarily led by Local Coordinator & Local Delegate ~ Animation done through: monthly meetings with agape (sponsored by b-day celebrants), pilgrimage and/ or outing, outreach projects and others. ~ Regular Provincial Council visitation D. Economic Solidarity & Financial Reporting ~ Financial report submitted to ASC World and SEC ~ Local Centers contribute to the ASC World but on an irregular basis E. Relationship with the Salesian Family ~ Warm due to 4 regular joint activities during the year ~ SFC Fellowship in February, Salesianity Week-End in March, SFC Formation in July, SFC Recollection in October + National Salesian Family Encounter every two years with Phil. South F. Communication ~ Communication is generally done through and text and some through blog or Facebook

IV. Vision for the FIN Province ( ) Mission Statement To have a more dynamic and responsive association, with deeper commitment to the Salesian vocation, increasing in number and in quality, and with more “ transforming” apostolic projects within and outside the community. Program for Next Three to Six Years - To increase in number of quality Cooperators - To increase ASC presence initially in areas where there are already SDB and/or FMA presence and then go beyond these presences - To deepen Cooperators’ commitment and Salesian vocation - To widen coverage & improve on current apostolic projects - To come up with Province Directory and simple Manual of Operations for the Province based on the recently approved PAL - To institutionalize local center Coordinator and Councillor for Finance reporting to the Provincial Council - More interaction / communication with the local, provincial and EAO region

8th ASC-EAO Regional CONGRESS April 23-26, 2014, Manila, Philippines PHILIPPINE NORTH- PROVINCIAL REPORT

Part 2 ACTION PLANS V. Environmental Scanning/ SWOT Analysis A. Strengths - Committed Cooperators at the local centers - Increasing number of young Cooperators B. Weaknesses - Limited financial capacity to sustain apostolic projects. Cooperators are tapped more for their time and talent. - Present mindset to focus Salesian vocation on immediate families - Few reports submitted so progress cannot be monitored / known by others - Local Coordinators computer challenged or have limited access to internet - Low number of male Cooperators - Low public awareness on our vocation & apostolic projects

C. Opportunities - Local Delegates able to attract new Cooperators - apostolic projects generally attract young Cooperators (ex. ADMA ) - Solidarity contribution can be tiered so those with more can give more - Formation needs assessment of local centers can be done and addressed appropriately - setting additional qualification requirements for Secretaries and Councillor for Finance such as computer and basic accounting skills. - Adopt a “hold over “ status for six months for the two positions to ensure smooth transition, transfer of records and familiarity by successor - Erection of new centers by locality / town in widely dispersed areas like Pampanga. This way monthly meetings, formation and apostolic activities can be done more easily and growth in membership achieved. The local SDB or FMA Delegate can rotate schedule of visits

D. Threats - Old age, poor health, migration, family demands - Presence of other religious organizations in the Parish or elsewhere - Need to make a living / lack of time - Many Cooperators not wanting to take leadership role in the local center E. Action Plans How to attract new Cooperators? - “Bring a friend’ campaign during meetings or apostolic work - Be a model of “good work” to attract others to join - Institutionalize vocation promotion/ recruitment of new Cooperators. Prime target : those who love the young, like to do apostolic work, active professionals and retirees (payback time) - Erection of more localized centers where there is a convergence of common interest or natural bonding of at least six (6) people meeting the criteria. - Tap couples, parents and relatives of Salesian Family members

What age profile to address? - Anyone at least 18 yrs of age with no disqualification issue How to increase awareness of the Salesian Cooperators presence in the community, in the parish? - Do Apostolic project with a little more funfare: banners, snacks served, free medical / dental check - up and other modes - Induct new Cooperators at a parish mass for the public to see & in the presence of families and friends who will be a source of support and vocation - Promote and pray for miracles for our Cooperator’s blessed especially Mamma Margherita so they can be beatified and consequently make the Salesian Cooperators spirituality known to many. Many conversions have been experienced during canonization of saints. How to train current and future local councilors? - Conduct leadership and basic reporting for local councilors and others with potentials to lead the Association - Have a simple Basic Manual of Operation to include templates /checklist of things to do for Convention, Retreats etc. - Benchmark other organizations, religious or civil on how to train effectively their current and future leaders ( ex. Rotary, Parish Pastoral Council etc)

How to animate the centers? - Regular Provincial visits for needs assessment and animation - Local Coordinator to take the lead in the animation supported by the Local Council - Local Delegates to also regularly meet among themselves on how to tap / motivate the Salesian Cooperators - Have teambuilding exercises to keep the spirit of camaraderie and teamwork alive How do we sustain vocation in areas w/o SDB/FMA presence? - Let them know PAL provisions which allow formation through internet - Invite them when there are special occasions/ opportunities or request assistance from nearest SDB/ FMA presence in the nearby area - Include in ASC group as a support system - Encourage occasional visits by the SDB, FMA or by a Cooperator How to instill deeper commitment and Salesian spirituality among members, with SFC? - Encourage sharing / personal witnessing during Formation - Show solidarity in time of sickness or death in the family. Local Delegate should visit sick Cooperators and give them the anointing of the sick whenever possible - Have common / district wide projects among the Salesian Family organizations

How to balance the time between family, work involvement with other organizations and ASC commitments? - Local council should be cognizant of the “work load/ circumstances “of their Cooperators. Family obligation should be given higher priority so as not to cause personal internal conflict on the part of the Cooperator - Formation, apostolic work should be balanced so as not to cause undue stress or burn out. How to strengthen financial position of the local center? - Adopt tiered schedule of annual dues depending on capacity to pay - Conduct province or center wide fund raising activities - Search for regular donors/ benefactors - Exercise good governance and transparency e.g. reporting regularly the financial condition of the center specifically itemizing all receipts and disbursements made How to improve communication among and between Provincial and Local Centers, with the EAO Regional Council/ Advisory Council? - Formally set up the EAO Regional Advisory Council - Use the internet / , texting and even thru written communication - EAO World Councillor to relay any matter taken up at the regional or world council or important developments in the region - Provinces to submit their annual report to ASC World cc the EAO World Councillor - Regular consultation be made with the EAO provinces on matters of great or general interest

How to foster intra-regional cooperation and sharing of vocation/ resources? - Share training materials, best practices etc. - Update EAO Directory based on the new PAL & needs of the region. - Foster solidarity based on capacity of the EAO Provinces - Benchmark on best practices of other organizations without losing our Salesian identity ( Rotary Int’l, El Shaddai, Prayer Groups etc) - Encourage/ foster missionary work among our young people. - Combine the position of EAO Administrator with an EAO Secretary for better dissemination of information and documentation requirements. Maybe rename : From To Regional Councillor for Formation Regional Formator Regional Councillor for Administration Regional Administrator & Secretariat