Journey with the Bicol rural youth - 2000+ graduates of Don Bosco Legazpi

By Our Own Correspondent

Legazpi, the Philippines, 3 November 2017 -- Twenty years ago the Salesians in the Philippines launched their new direction - go to the rural poor youth. After Don Bosco Training Center in Mati (Mindanao, FIS province) in the early 90' also in the FIN province was started around AD 2000 another agricultural training center in Legazpi. The diocese offered the Salesians 12 hectar land and Br. Luigi Parolin (76 years, Italian) spent last 17 years in Bicol, one of the poorest regions of the Philippines.

At present the four confreres strong community of two Salesian Brothers (Luigi and Henry) and two Salesian Priests (Rector Fr. Javines and Economer Fr. Martel) does journey with 170 rural youth of this Agricultural Technology Center and adjacent Don Bosco Demonstration Farm that helps the 2000 young graduates start their own livelihood. Indeed the Legazpi experience extends to the families of our graduates to utilize the up-land, organize small cooperative, micro-finance and assistance to the marketing of their agricultural products.

As usual, the training center does start with one passionate Salesian Brother. Since Br. Parolin is originally prepared in automotive sector and spend his whole life in the Technical Vocation training centers, this rural experience was for him a return to his home youth experience in the fields and in Salesian Brother Agricultural Aspirantate of Cumiana (close to Turin, Italy). Then slowly the work at the periphery became recognized in the provincial community. The distance from Manila is being bridged by consistant participation in all province level meetings and the Rector is head of the Social Action commission in the province. Our candidates are exposed every year during summer to this rural experience and we have already even one Salesian missionary ad gentes - Cl. Rodil Lladones, Middle East - as fruit of this work.

Legazpi is located in Bicol region, about 12 hours by bus (or one hour by air) from Metro Manila. It's a true periphery of the FIN province, where majority of the Salesian work are located around the capital city. Together with Manila - Tondo, Calauan or Tuloy Sa Don Bosco is at the heart of the provincial community.

The most recent edition of the Salesian Bulletin of the Philippines (St. John Bosco Today, volume 47, n.2) is dedicated to 'The Salesian Family at the peripheries of society' (http://www.sdb.org.ph/fin/stjohnboscotoday).

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