Sugbuswak: Laity supports proposal with plans, programs to strengthen Church

(From left) Eileen Mangubat, editor of the drafting committee; Fe Barino, the commission’s chair; Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma; and Simeon Dumdum, Jr., retired judge and member of the drafting committee. CDN Digital photo/Niña Mae Oliverio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Commission on the Laity of the Archdiocese of Cebu on Wednesday, February 14,  presented their statement on the proposed Sugbuswak which would give birth to two new dioceses in Cebu.

In a statement, the commission offered observations, plans, and programs that summed up to 18 points with a vision to strengthen the local Church.

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Fe Barino, commission’s chair; Eileen Mangubat, editor of the drafting committee; Simeon Dumdum, Jr., retired judge and member of the drafting committee; and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma led the presentation of the statement in a press conference at the Archbishop’s Residence in Cebu City.

“The laity looks forward with optimism to authentic growth that will bring the Church closer to the people in a rapidly urbanizing province. With a smaller area for a bishop to administer, the needs of the flock in each new territory can be attended to well,” the commission said in a statement.

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Plans, programs

Among the plans that the commission offered are the establishment of Lay Formation Center or Institute to address various needs of training and formation and the the establishment of the Clergy Formation Center.

The commission also planned to create a Council or Commission of the Laity (COL) in each new diocese to sustain the gains of the existing COL across the board.

Moreover, they also wanted to convene the Parish Pastoral Councils (PPC) in all dioceses of Cebu, highlighting its importance for synodality.

They also wanted to hire Human Resource (HR) professionals on a full-time basis to oversee an orderly delivery of HR services in the diocese. HRs, they believed, would be more available in the tasks than a clergy member who is assigned with multiple tasks in the parish.

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Meanwhile, the other programs and plans that the commission offered would cater the needs of the youth, community chapels, poor and less-privileged, and the equipment in the church among others.

After reading the entire statement, Palma said that he was delighted because the provisions written on it reflected in one of the books (Dare to Dream) of the Pope in terms of the faithful’s journey in faith.

Palma said that he would bring the Sugbuswak proposal to Rome on March 11 this year.

The Sugbuswak will give birth to two new dioceses in Cebu which will be located in Carcar City in the south and Danao City in the north.

The Archdiocese of Cebu will be left with the metropolitan area comprising the tri-cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu up to the towns of Balamban, Asturias, Consolacion, and Minglanilla.