Dakong Balay hosts Caritas Philippines’ Alay Para sa Kalikasan

“It all started when RED family visited us and had coffee in Tagaytay few months ago, but I did not expect that they will make this into a reality,” Ms. Jean Reyes Handerson, Caritas Philippines Head of Communications, recalled during her opening remarks at the dinner for a cause hosted by Ronald, Ermelita and Diane (RED) Reyes family at Dakong Balay, Toril, Davao City last October 6, 2024.

A good friend of Caritas Philippines President and Kidapawan Bishop Colin Bagaforo, D.D., Ronald (husband), Ermelita, (wife), and Diane (only daughter), owner of Dakong Balay, granted the wish of Bishop Bagaforo to help raise funds of 500 million pesos in three years to care for creation as one of the main advocacies of Caritas Philippines.

In her message, Diane revealed that she learned to care for creation through the example of her grandmother and her mother, Bing, who never allows trees or plants to be cut without any good reason but keep on planting more that to make the environment clean and healthy.

Caritas Philippines, the humanitarian arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, also sends to school the materially and academically disadvantaged but also advocates for caring for creation in response to Pope Francis’ call.

Fr. Bonn Barretto of the Archdiocese of Cotabato, Fr. Jovilo Bongay of the Archdiocese of Davao and the Saint Gregory choir of Sto. Rosario Parish in Toril led by Mr. Allan Gorgonio, filled the air with their soothing and vibrant voices while the invited 150 guests enjoyed the sumptuous dinner.

The night was also graced by surprise with the presence of no less than the Archbishop-Emeritus of Cotabato, His Eminence Orlando Cardinal Quevedo, D.D. He recommends reforestation saying that “each diocese all over the Philippines would adopt a mountain and plant.”

Fr. Carmelo “Tito” Caluag, Executive Director of Caritas Philippines, expressed his gratitude to RED family and the guests telling them to hope, to care and to be grateful. He reminded everyone that “all our actions, all our programs must come from a sense of hope because that is the core of our Christian faith; we are a faith of hope.”

Expressing his heartfelt gratitude to RED family and the guests, Bishop Bagaforo hopes that many will be inspired to pledge for the support of the programs of Caritas Philippines by contributing a little amount hoping that “you will join us in our annual call of gift giving.”