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Caritas Philippines, the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines will hold the first gathering of social action networks after the pandemic this June 13-17, 2022 in General Santos City, South Cotabato.
Before its suspension due to the global pandemic, social action workers from the 85 dioceses met every two years for the National Social Action General Assembly (NASAGA) to discuss and create concrete social action programs.
“This is the biggest gathering (240 individuals, 71 diocesan social action centers out of 85) in the history of the national social action general assembly,” shares Caritas Philippines national director Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo.
The 40th NASAGA with the theme: “#LeaveNoOneBehind. #CaritasPromise., coincides with the celebration of the 124th anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 12 which is also significant as the country prepares to welcome a new set of leaders and gradually recover from the effects brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NASAGA will be hosted by the Diocese of Marbel under the leadership of Bishop Cerilo Allan Casicas and Fr. Jerome Millan of the Diocesan Social Action Center.
The diocese was at the forefront of the successful mobilization campaign against the lifting of the open-pit mining ban in South Cotabato, particularly in the town of Tampakan.
According to Fr. Antonio Labiao, Jr., executive secretary of Caritas Philippines, it is expected that the assembly will discuss concerns and challenges on ecology, elections, resource mobilization, and capacity strengthening of the social action centers.
In particular, NASAGA will be the most apt venue to discuss the network’s ways forward in post-election engagement, especially the details of how principled cooperation will be enforced with the new administration.
The general assembly will also highlight the humanitarian responses it provided when Typhoon Odette ravaged eleven dioceses in December 2021, which now amounts to:—.
The regular holding of the NASAGA, which started in 1969, gathers all diocesan social action directors as a venue for discussion and approval of major resolutions relating to the network’s thematic programs, social services, and organizational development.
A competition among the 13 sub-regional clusters showcasing the best programs of the social action centers will also be held for the first time during the general assembly, alongside an exhibit of products from local communities and social enterprises assisted by Caritas Philippines and the local social action.
“We are very happy with the turn-out of the delegates, especially after visiting 59 diocesan social action centers since February 2021. This is a very good indication of how we will be moving forward with the many things our church needs to address,” discloses Bishop Bagaforo.
Caritas Philippines is the humanitarian, development, and advocacy arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, serving as the secretariat to 85 diocesan social action centers, and seating as the country’s representative to Caritas Internationalis, the global confederation of Catholic charities.
