News from Philippines

25 NOV - 2 DEC 2011 

This was the first ACTs Philippines mission trip.

Sr Beth with ACTs team Mother Mazzarello

The ACTs team with Sr Beth in front of a Statue of their founder Saint Mary Mazarello.

Oratory Canlubang

We visited 4 oratories in Canlubang which are under the care of the Sisters. An oratory is a gathering of children and mothers, usually on a Sunday. The Sisters spend time with them in catechism and group activities.

Snacks for kids n moms at Canlubang oratories 1

ACTs, with the support of the Srs and students from their school, and through the generosity of the OLPS Family Life Ministry gave 490 children and mothers a meal and goodie bag of essentials.

Snacks for kids n moms Canlubang Oratories 2

Daniel Ong and Penny Lee giving out a meal of spaghetti to the children.

LVTC Year1 girls Sr Dolor ACTs team

The ACTs team spent three half days with the year 1 students from the Laura Vicuna Technical College, running classes that would prepare them for the real working world. Everyone enjoyed themselves with the games organized by Patrick and Dolly, and the classes and interviews prepared by the rest of the team.

Job search class with LVTC yr1 girls

The ACTs team ran classes on job search, resume writing and preparing for an interview. As homework, the girls had to select a job and attend a one-to-one interview with the ACTs bosses. They were very stressed!

LVTC n IBM

Dolly Chua invited her local IBM office to give a career talk to the students. It proved to be a hit, as the IBMers were inspiring in sharing their own personal experiences and giving advice to the students on working life. The students also received IBM memorabilia.

Felt craft session with vicunan kids in Manila

Vicunans is a name given to the kids who come daily to the Provincial House for group activities – sports, games, music lessons and tuition. The ACTs team spent an evening with the kids, teaching them to make felt hearts, crosses and cars. We also sponsored them new badminton rackets, volleyballs and basketballs.

Vicunans with their new school bags and goodies

The finale of our time with the vicunans was an evening of song, dance and music presented by the children, followed by our contribution to them of their favourite spaghetti dinner and a goodie bag. Through the generosity of the OLPS Family Life Ministry, the vicunans  will continue to receive an evening sustenance of a snack or a full meal for most of 2012.

Cooking Class Mothers Club in Manila

Daniel Ong giving a cooking lesson to the Sta Mesa Mothers Club. He taught them ‘easy to make’ kaya and pan fried cassava (tapioca).

Sr Sarah ACTs Team n Mothers Club

The ACTs team, Sta Mesa Mothers Club and Sr Sarah Garcia (on the extreme left), Provincial head of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians order in The Philippines.

Aetas community baptism at Mabalacat

On one of our days in Manila, it happen to be a public holiday. We were invited to visit the Aetas indigenous community in Pampanga Province, 3 hours Northwest of Manila. It was a special day for them, as there was a community baptism of over 60 people, from toddlers to parents. Whole families were baptized!

Aetas post baptism party

The community baptism was followed by a party at the school open space, which doubles up as the village square. There was dancing, singing and a free-flow meal of pasta soup and bread for all. We were invited to join in the festivities of the day - helping to give out the meals and present a young goat to each family.  In this photo is Laurence Koh in the foreground, surprising everyone by picking up a goat for a photo opportunity.

Visit to Montalban with ICPE Esther Fong

On one of our free days, we joined ICPE, a lay missionary group, to a community that they look after. ICPE is headed by Singaporean Esther Fong, who works with a team of long term volunteers. The place we visited was Montalban, a relocation site, where the urban poor of Manila were relocated to.  It is about 1.5 hrs hours out of Manila, in an isolated area. We learnt a lot from our morning with ICPE and their community through our observation of their activities and planning session with the mothers group, as well as catechism given to the teenagers.

6am mass daily at Shrine of the Sacred Heart

The ACTs group made it a point to start the day by attending 6am mass at a nearby church – Shrine of the Sacred Heart. Mass was followed by breakfast, then a full day of work in the Provincial House of the Sisters.