Sabbatical Three

A month has passed since I arrived in the Philippine Islands.  My address is Blk 13, Lot 34, Area H, San Rafael, Sapang Palay, San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan; it is also the address of the two Philippine registered charitable incorporations of Mater Orphanorum Servants of the Poor, and Ateneo Casa Famiglia, Servants of the Poor. San Jose Del Monte is 43 Km from the center of Manila.

God's grace is alive and active in the ministry of the Catholic Church.  By way of the ministerial priesthood and through the intercession of our Blessed Mother and that of her parent's Saints Anne and Joachim I am Founder and President of these two charitable incorporations.

Sapang Palay was created in 1961 as a resettlement area by the Marcos Government and maintained by subsequent governments. In 1978 there were nine resettlements areas the present Government has established eight more resettlement areas. There are presently about three hundred thousand economically weak families living in Sapang Palay.

ACFSPI is an educational center which provides an Elementary and Senior High School Curriculum for over four hundred children including one hundred and twenty young adults (16 to 18 years old).  ACFSPI also offers technical training in welding, information technology, hotel, and other service industries.

Welding: SMAW stands for Shielded Metal Arc Welding. ACFSPI is a TESDA accredited welding assessment center. ACFSPI is the only TESDA accredited High School in San Jose Del Monte.

The ACFSPI curriculum includes Information Technology conforms to Senior High School as directed by the Philippine Department of Education.

ACFSPI teaches students for the Service Industries. The school is equipped to teach Hotel and Restaurant Management, Bartending, Housekeeping, Food, and Beverage Services.

ACFSPI's Senior High School has passed all Department of Education requirements for the year 2018-2019.

The Senior High School facilitates the Department of Education's Program of Alternative Learning System.  ACFSPI receives no finances for the use of the school facilities.

ACFSPI provides education to the family members of MOSPI for free. The indigenous tribe of the Dumagats also receive free tuition from elementary to Senior High School.

ACFSPI provides approximately two hundred and eighty-nine of its scholars with full or partial financial assistance. The annual average cost is £86,700.   

ACFSPI provides food, study books, official and physical education uniforms, and all transport cost for all MOSPI and Dumagat students who attend College Courses.

ACFSPI has links with the Dominican Pontifical University of Sto. Tomas, Manila. The University of Sto. Tomas specializes in Commerce, Business Administration, and financial stewardship. The UST provides all the economic costs for ACFSPI's continuing professional development that is under its direction.

Annually, a couple of local manufacturing companies give our ACFSPI young adult students work experience which includes a small weekly wage to support their family.

One Hundred and Twenty Senior High School Students receive a partial government grant of £233 (Total £ 27,960). Fifty part-Fee Paying Students receive Php. 8,500, approx. £141 each.  Total £7050 assistance from Financial Assistance for Private Education (FAPE). The entire student fee amounts to approximately £59,730 for the JTJ Trust Fund and other private sources. The Parents of fifty expected regular full paying students is annually Php. 16,200 each. Total: Php. 810.000.  This figure is never achieved for full payment. From Jan 2017 to Dec 2018 we have a deficit of payment by all the payees of Php 1,474.820. £24,580. Peso to sterling at Php.60 to £1 sterling.

All the Teaching Faculty receive refresher courses and professional guidance in educational good practices.

MOSPI

The charism of MOSPI directs itself toward the care of abandoned, abused, and neglected children.

Mater Orphanorum Servants of the Poor.

• Established as a Filipino legal incorporation in 1997.
• Home to thirty children and young adults.
• Supports economically weak families without a home. MOSPI provides shelter, food, clothing, and education to the distressed families.
• MOSPI works with the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
• Professional Counselling Services are provided for all the faculty and students of ACFSPI and MOSPI.
• ACFSPI and MOSPI adhere to proper conduct and stewarding of the ministry of Child Protection as laid down by the Filipino Government and the Catholic Bishops of the Philippines.