By Fr. Honesto Jeronimo, SDB

Cebu, Philippines, September 2, 2015 - FIS Viceprovincial and fr. Alan Banogon (PDO director) left Cebu City in the early morning to go to Don Bosco Borongan (Eastern Samar island) to attend the local DB 200 celebrations there. Arriving at noon, they attended the Rectors’ Meeting after lunch for the whole afternoon. They were lodged at the Retreat House of the Visitation Sisters for the night.

The DB 200 celebrations started with the blessing of the Evacuation Center in Bato from where a motorcade moved around the city ending at the Cathedral. From the Cathedral the group marched towards the new Training Center at Tabok where at the new gym the Borongan bishop Mons. Crispin Barrete Varquez celebrated mass with the Salesians and the diocesan clergy. The blessing of the gym and training center followed. Before the lunch there was a short program prepared by the talented DBYC members.

In the afternoon the Provincial Council met while the rest of the confreres went for a river ride. The event capped with the basketball game between the Salesians and diocesan clergy where the confreres lost. Dinner was served after the friendly match.

Borongan (Easter Samar) SDB community has more than 20 years long history, small and vibrant SDB community (Rector Fr. Julius Sanchez) is one of the glorious peripheries of FIS - Cebu Province (Southern Philippines). After the devastating typhoon Yolanda (Hayan) in November 2013 the community was a point of reference for Salesian help to many victim of Yolanda.