TACLOBAN CITY– Catholic religious organizations have initiated a weeklong promotional campaign aimed at encouraging more individuals to join seminaries and convents, coinciding with this year’s vocation month celebration.

“We bring the presence of the Church to the marketplace as we find Jesus in the hearts of ordinary people there,” Fr. Ferderiz Cantiller, president of the Directors of Vocations in the Philippines (DVP) Cebu City chapter, said.

“All are invited to be Jesus’ friends. Let us pray for more vocations!” he added.
From February 5 to 10, 2024, various religious congregations and individuals congregated at the Carbon Public Market Freedom Park in Cebu, immersing themselves with everyday people in the street alleys to discuss the vocation needs of the Archdiocese of Cebu.

Cantiller, formerly assigned at the Redemptorist Church in Tacloban City, described the event as successful, stating, “it has achieved its goal in terms of promotion and information dissemination, raising awareness across a wider segment of society.”

“It may not have directly resulted in increased recruits joining the seminaries and convents. However, collectively, the DVP Cebu Chapter has sown seeds that would allow people’s hearts to open up to support the Catholic Church’s efforts in inviting young individuals to consider a religious calling,” Cantiller explained to Leyte Samar Daily Express.

“It was a battle to win people’s hearts to empathize with the concern about the current vocation crisis. We cannot achieve our goal in isolation; we can only do so together as a Church with the support of the people of God. Gathering people to pray for more vocations in the Church is already a noble achievement of the ‘Taboan sa Bokasyon (Market of Vocations),’” the priest added.

During the concluding mass on February 10, Monsignor Rogelio Fuentes, one of the vicars general of the Archdiocese of Cebu, stressed that the secret of vocation, as St. Paul said, is to “be imitators of me as I am of Christ.”

“Anyone who imitates Christ can also be attractive,” Monsignor Fuentes emphasized in his homily.

Father Christian James Mayol, the vocation director at the Seminario Mayor de San Carlos of the Archdiocese of Cebu, previously acknowledged a “crisis” in the declining number of Catholics attending seminary schools in Cebu.

Supporting Father Mayol’s assertion, Father Cantiller stated that in 1995, the Redemptorist Order had between 40 to 60 college seminarians, which dwindled to only six in 2013.
Last year, four young boys were set to join as freshmen, but two withdrew, Cantiller lamented.

He attributed family pressure, socio-economic factors, and political issues as reasons why young people are not entering the seminary.

According to Cantiller, innovative approaches are needed to attract young Catholics to priesthood.

“The vocation is declining, but with active missionary presence, there will be vocations. I would like to believe, like the first disciples, they first got interested in Jesus’ works and deeds, and so they followed him,” said Father Cantiller, who recently traveled to the Samar Island provinces to engage in vocation work. (RONALD O. REYES)

NSSDEO, Brgy. Burabud, Laoang, N. Samar – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Northern Samar Second District Engineering Office (NSSDEO) has completed two new multipurpose building in Las Navas Agro-Industrial School located in Las Navas, Northern Samar.

These multi-purpose building projects are the construction of 20m x 12m under contract with S20 Civil Engineering Construction and has a Contract ID No. 23II0042 with a budget appropriation of P8 million, and Contract ID No. 23II0052 with an allocated amount of P7 million intended for the construction of 20m x 10m under contract with J Square Builders & Construction Supply. The said facilities were under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2023 with a total allocated amount of P15 million and it was completed last December 2023.

Both projects have the scope of works of reinforced concrete works, finishing works which includes masonry, plastering, floor finishing, roofing works, carpentry and joinery works, complete with electrical and plumbing works.

Furthermore, these vertical projects have reached 100% completion through the work implementation of DPWH-NSSDEO spearheaded by District Engineer Charlito S. Carlobos and Assistant District Engineer Atty. Arthur Eric L. Sabong with direct monitoring and consistent supervision of Project Engineer Arturo C. Corocoto, Jr.

Multipurpose building projects have great significance to the end-users as it will provide additional facilities to the school, enhance the educational environment for students, and cater during various events.

Yolanda A. Pajenado, MAME, a Vocational School Administrator II of Las Navas Agro-Industrial School, expressed the significant impact of the project to their learners.
“The institution, the Las Navas Agro-Industrial School, caters the 2nd District of Northern Samar. So, we have many learners and beneficiaries. We cater all of them in our humble institution. With the many learners, our school has only three buildings and we lack workshops before, but now with these two workshops granted and constructed by the Department of Public Works and Highways, we will be able to cater many learners as we can.”
(RONEL L. GALUPO, PIO STAFF/PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – The city government of Catbalogan and the provincial government of Samar will be partnering in the implementation of a bamboo production livelihood project.
The undertaking is a brainchild of Governor Sharee Ann Tan which aims to promote the growth of giant bamboo for sustainable livelihoods in several barangays across the province.

The project, to be implemented within five years, is expected to bring socio-economic impact to the community as this would augment their income and provide them employment.

In Catbalogan City, the project is targeted to be implemented in the villages of Totoringon, Lobo, Libas, Albalate, and Cagutian.

A meeting between the city government, represented by Vice Mayor Coefredo Uy, and Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Management Officer Wilfredo Lacambra was held last week where they presented the project to the city government officials who were accompanied by City Administrator Atty. Dennis Cosmod, City Agriculturist Rafael Llauderes, and City Environment and Natural Resources Officer Edgardo M. Guya.

Lacambra informed Uy that a total of 210 individuals from the city will benefit the project providing them sustainable livelihood opportunities and at the same will also enhance the environmental management of the city.

About 200 of the beneficiaries will be assigned to plant bamboo, while 10 are going to be assigned as geotaggers who will be responsible for documenting and monitoring the progress of the planted bamboo samplings, Lacambra said.

He added that each beneficiary will receive a daily allowance during the project’s clearing, preparation, and planting stages.

The city government of Catbalogan welcomes this project as this supports two development agendas of the city namely which are #KalibunganKatbalogan for Environmental Protection and Management and #KasiguraduhanKatbalogan for Food Security and Agricultural Development.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)