PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) has recently donated ₱1 million to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila (RCAM) to support the Pontificio Collegio Filippino (PCF) in Rome, Italy for the continuing education of Filipino priests.
RCAM priests Fr. Cesar Buhat and Fr. Mon Merino, who are former PLDT employees, joined the turnover of the donation with PSF President Ma. Esther O. Santos together with her team Elvira Gumangan and Odette De Guzman, and Pontificio Collegio Filippino Founding Board of Trustee Roberto Juanchito Dispo.
In keeping with PLDT and Smart’s core value of malasakit or compassion, PSF supports the mission of PCF to educate and develop priests to serve the church, the country, and communities. Opened and blessed by Pope John XXIII in Rome in 1961, PCF continues to be an avenue of continuous learning for Filipino priests who bring back knowledge to the seminaries and other specialized diocesan ministries they lead and belong to back home.
Priests sent to PCF for additional training and formation while doing further studies are carefully selected by bishops of their respective dioceses. Attending PCF in Rome develops these Filipino priests to their full potential, as major learning opportunities and exposure to international context help expand their overall perspective.
“We are honored to support the education of Filipino priests. We believe that these priests eventually come back with a bigger purpose, and that is to serve not only the church but also the country, particularly the communities where they will be assigned,” according to PSF President Esther O. Santos.
“It is imperative that we support and build up our Collegio so that we can continue to mold and train priests to evangelize and bring Christ to the world,” wrote PCF Rector Fr. Gregory Ramon D. Gaston.
“Pontificio Collegio Filippino urgently needs repair and refurbishments, and the donation of PLDT-Smart Foundation will certainly help defray some of these construction costs. We, Cardinal Tagle, PCF Foundation, Chairman Emeritus, its Chairman, its Rector Fr. Greg Gaston, all the priests, present and past, who lives and have lived there, and RCAM, represented by Fr. Cesar Buhat collectively express our elation and gratefulness for this help and donation. We are showering prayers to PLDT-Smart Foundation led by its President, Ma. Esther Santos and most specially its Chairman Manny V Pangilinan,” added PCF Foundation Chairman Roberto Juanchito T. Dispo.
PSF fully supports the mission of RCAM in helping priests with their pursuit of education through institutions like PCF
