SULADS J
o u r n a l
January-March 2015
SULADS High School Graduation
“Buya”
Ripples of Baptism
SULADS
reaching the unreached feature 12 I WILL PASS ON THE SULADS FIRE Adrian Ampo Maca
15 THE RUNAWAY BRIDE Maricel Lipandag
17 LET’S CALL OFF THE WEDDING Willy Tamba
13 GLADLY OBEY Arwin Blabad
Editors
Liz Darnelle Ang Bethel Jane Ranarez
columns 3 EDITOR’S NOTE
One Chance in Life
4 NEWS 14 MR. CULTURE SAYS Buya
21 H.E.A.L. CORNER From Nothing to Something
22 STAFF SPACE
A Dream for the Young Lumads
23 PRAYER LIST 24 SNAPSHOT
Layout and Design Marveluz Blessie Ensencio
Contributors
Novo Sabas Selpha Sabas Adrian Ampo Maca Maricel Lipandag Willy Tamba Arwin Blabad Alejandro Panes Lowel Limbagan Victor Paradero, Jr.
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about the cover This issue features the first high school for the Lumads – SULADS Comprehensive High School for the Lumads which is located in Sto. Domingo, Lumintao, Quezon Bukidnon.
EDITOR’S NOTE One Chance in Life Life is precious. Once opportunity is lost, there’s no turning back. God desires for the youth to cultivate the seed of holiness, happiness, and usefulness laying up treasures in heaven while yet living on earth. It’s SULADS desire that the young people will follow Christ’s pattern in investing on that which brings the greatest profit – souls for God. Ecclesiastes 12:1 reminds us to “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.” There’s only one chance in life to bring glory to God and to benefit our fellow men. Over the past 12 years, we can’t thank God enough to have sustained SULADS Comprehensive High School for the Lumads (SCHSL) in Santo Domingo, Bukidnon; we’d like to present some testimonies and stories from the first high school that was established for the soul purpose to educate the young Lumads to love God and guide them to lead their own people heavenward.
SULADS Journal is published triannually by SULADS, Inc., a non-government and nonprofit charitable educational institution in the Philippines which aims to educate and inspire the unreached indigenous people. SULADS come from the Manobo term sulad which means brother or sister. It is also an acronym for Socio-ecomic Uplift, Literacy, Anthropological, and Developmental Services. SULADS, Inc. Mountain View College Mt. Nebo, Valencia City, Bukidnon 8709 info@suladsasia.org
(+63) 905-426-7637 info@suladsasia.org www.suladsasia.org
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NEWS 12 SCHSL Students Accepts the Savior 12 precious souls of young people had given their hearts fully and back to the Lord on January 17, 2015 as the fruits of their week of prayer done by Winner Silvestre, a music teacher from CPAC. The students were convinced to renew their vows with the Lord after listening to the messages of inspiration. During the first call for baptism on Friday night, only three students had decided. The next day, before the picture taking of the baptismal candidates, some more number of students flocked in and added the number; thus completes the 12 precious souls of young people added to the fold.
Winner Silvestre speaking for the Week of Prayer
Precious souls accepting Jesus as their Savior
Pastor officiates baptism of the SCHSL students.
PAMAS Offers Aviation Services to SULADS
Welding the boundaries of the airstrip
Digging holes for the boundary posts
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To aid SULADS in medical outreach to remote areas and in sending the missionaries to the mountains and islands, Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services (PAMAS) offered one airplane and a helicopter. Last February 3, SULADS staff helped in the reinstatement of the airstrip in MVC to welcome these two aviation help.
2015 JAMBOREE Tawi-Tawi Cluster Jamboree a success January 29-February 2, 2015, Tawi- Tawi Cluster held their Jamboree at Batu-Batu National High School, Panglima Sugala, Batu-Batu, Tawi-Tawi. It was participated by 5 mission schools and 2 government schools with a total number of 200 students. Students and teachers were in- reached of the week -long physical and spiritual enrichment with the theme, “CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE”. The jamboree was truly amazing for these several reasons: 1. Government school students attended our program. They all enjoyed the camp activities and had willingly followed all the camp rules. 2. The parents of those students from the government
schools had given their full support. Government officials and teachers were so delighted to have given the best accommodation for the campers. 3. It was the mayor herself who had given the funds to support the needed expenses. 4. All the students from our mission schools had excellent performances in all the camp activities. Their beautiful songs had brought admiration of the entire government group. Our students, teachers, and the whole SULADS work had become a great light to all the people watching and observing who we are. This little light will surely shine brightly in their hearts in God’s set time. To God be the Glory!
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2015 JAMBOREE Cotabato Cluster Kickoffs 1st Ever Jamboree On February 8-15, 2015 the First Cotabato Cluster Jamboree was held at Sitio Slong, Ned, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. The Jamboree was only participated by four Mission Schools, yet we can see how happy, excited, and participative our children were in presenting their talents and learned skills. The people in the village were so happy and thankful upon seeing their children perform their different skills that they had never witnessed before. Since most of the participants from the 4 literacy centers were first timers, they learned many new things. Following strictly to the rules and regulations, observing the time and schedules, respecting their fellow campers and their unit leaders, and learning skills that they never have experience in their whole life specially in Pathfinder skills. How eager the children learned knot tying, bandaging, and most specially the different pathfinder cooking skills. They were also given the chance to sing during worships and preach through a chain of sermons. The missionaries also had given them mental games that test-
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ed their knowledge in answering different question from all subjects taught in their mission schools and many of them got excellent scores. All the memories of the first ever Cotabato Cluster Jamboree has left the people with God’s very wonderful message of love and grace.
A cultural presentation by the T’boli students
Fancy drill presentation by the Lambila students
Digging through the Bible during the devotional
Knot-tying lessons with MG Lowel Limbagan
CLOSING PROGRAM SULADS Comprehensive High School Holds 9th Commencement Exercises SULADS Comprehensive High School holds 9th Commencement Exercises on March 20-22, 2015, 21 students from different tribes of Bukidnon had successfully completed their secondary education. The class named themselves as “Tekton” meaning BUILDERS established in their motto, “The tools for creating a master-piece of life are here. You are the Builders. Success will depend on your faith.” And with the theme “Walk forward, never look backward”. The speaker for the graduation was Mr. Dante Ardemer, MAED, Principal 1 of Quezon, Bukidnon District who had inspired the students to allow themselves to be held like the pencil in his illustration. For a pencil to function it needed to be held in
someone else’s hand same as true as they are to allow their parents, teachers, elders, and most of all God to guide them in their journey to success. There is no other security, but the security to be guided by those who have been in the long life journey ahead of them. There is no other security but the security to be guided by those who had been in the journey for long and so ahead of them. The event had marked the parents and the graduates’ threshold to a new chapter and beginning of a life in the world so far from what they are used to - the real world of being with people so culturally different from them. A challenge they are to face, for that great price of a brighter tomorrow, a brighter hope of a good future with education as their arm.
Heart-warming moments during the Tribute to Parents
Parents watch their children graduate
A T’boli student with his mother
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CLOSING PROGRAM SULADS Comprehensive School for the Deaf Holds 2nd Closing Exercises Program Mrs. Gemini F. Asok, chairperson of the Secondary Department of Mountain View College congratulated and spoke to the 25 deaf students of the SULADS Comprehensive School for the Deaf on the theme “Let me hear through your hands” on March 18, 2015. Sign and oral interpretation of the whole program was given by Mr. Daryl Famisaran, Mrs. Sarah Famisaran and by Ms. Metheylyn T. Carolino taking turns on every part.
feel the society’s acceptance and fairness in treating them as real people having the same needs and aspirations as with those who are not having the disabilities. She ended her message with giving them 10 rules for success. The whole message was interpreted in sign language by Ms. Metheylyn T. Carolino, one of the teachers. The experience is special and unique. We heard them through their hands and they heard us not by our speech and words but by our warmth. There is no sweeter language than the love we have for them expressed through our gentle touch, warm hugs, and sweet smiles. There is no greater sign than the sign of love to be given to them.
Mrs. Gemini Asok on her message
Asok told the graduates about her passion to help and uplift the lives of every child with special needs. It is her specialization in her master’s and doctorate degrees. She has emphasized their equal rights to receive education and all the privileges to succeed in their lives’ endeavors. It was an eye opener for parents never to lose hope in a brighter future for their children with special needs and mostly a great comfort for the students to
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The deaf students singing through sign
Proud parent gives wears to her daughter
RIPPLES OF BAPTISM Poiton Revelation Seminar Reaps a Great Harvest By: Alejandro Panes
December 26-January 10, 2015, a revelation seminar was held at Poiton, Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao del Norte. Headed by Dr. Alejandro Panes (SULADS), two junior pastors from South Korea, Dr. Lee (MAMA), and supported by 14 young people from South Korea and the 4 volunteer missionaries Mr. and Mrs. Dondon Payaron, timmy Dag-on and Emilyon Payaron. The Seminar introduced them to the great work of restoration and salvation in Jesus. A day before the baptism, there were only 8 people who had already decided to be baptized. Then the last meeting came and the Korean pastor had emphasized the importance of baptism. Given after the pastor was the testimony of Timmy Dag-on, it was on how SULADS program had saved his life through the missionaries assigned in Sto. Domingo mission school. After his testimony, a miracle happened because the 8 became 88. 88 people decided to give their hearts to Jesus, and soon before the baptism happened the number had increased again from 88 to 120 souls. It was nothing but God’s miraculous conversion to the hearts of those men.
The whole work in Poiton did not escape the disturbance of the forces of darkness. There was this one whole night that the Babaylan (quack doctor) was chanting and praying to his spirit gods and there was great disturbance on our night’s rest. Then when claimed on the promise that all the demons surrounding us were already defeated at the cross, peace slowly came back.
The more we move forward to work for God - our fight with the principalities and power of darkness will also intensify. It is a challenge for everyone of us to fight this good fight of faith because the harvest is indeed very great. Let us continue the great commission- go and teach all nations, because he has promised, “I am with you always even unto the end of the world.”
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RIPPLES OF BAPTISM SULADS Joins Forces With GO in Evangelizing Cotabato By: Lowel Limbagan
SULADS and Gospel Outreach (GO) worked hand in hand in conducting an evangelistic meeting held at Sitio Kibang, Ned, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato last March 9-21, 2015. The group reached out to different areas around Kibang where Bible studies, group meetings, feeding, Vacation Bible School (VBS) for children, and health lectures were conducted. This led to simultaneous baptisms the different areas which reached up to 1,511 precious souls accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Aside from that, there also about 200-300 people who were scheduled for baptism on the last week of March in a nearby area.
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RIPPLES OF BAPTISM Sitio Tobacon Welcomes 22 Newly-baptized Church Members By: Victor Paradero, Jr.
March 18, 2015 marked the day for the 22 souls to finally embrace the Adventist faith of Sitio Tobacon, one of the farthest village of Bitaugan, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur. It is the farthest village, but also with the most polite and kind people. Long before the event, I was told by the supervisor that there is a batism in Tobacon. He was not certain of how many souls will submit for baptism until such time we arrived in the village. In the morning of March 18, Sir James Subigca visited the candidates in their homes. Coming back from the visitation he told me that there are only eight who decided to be baptized. Even one is already
enough having eight was more than to me. So I instructed Sir James to gather them for final review of the fundamental beliefs.
During the review, many came to listen to the all the fundamental beliefs reviewed for the baptismal candidates and stayed for about 2 hours. After the review, we went right away to the river to start the baptism. To my surprise, the number of people to be baptized in front of me increased. I am expecting for a miracle of the Holy Spirit’s outworking and indeed, the eight became 14 and to my great amazement when I started
to dip one by one those who surrendered their lives to Jesus, another eight came who happily expressed their desire to be baptized too! That very morning God had given us 22 souls who vowed to serve Him and His people. What a wonder! What a sight to see people give their hearts to God and what gives the thrill is how they had finally decided to give Jesus their hearts on the last minute.
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I Will Pass on the SULADS Fire!
I
was 15, a drunk, a hopelessly desperate teenage boy. I knew then that no future was waiting for me. What I only wanted was to continue to live the worthless life I had already always been living. I grew up empty and void of any parental affection. I have 13 siblings who grew up the same way as me without any love. I found comfort with my friends and with my vices. My heart was filled with anger and resentment toward almost everyone around me. I was really rebellious. I can not find any sense in my life. I looked at my life as nothing but emptiness. I was searching for something which I didn’t know where to find. One of my siblings was a member of the communist rebels.
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They saw in my broken life a potential to be of use to their communist cause. So they tried to persuade me in so many different ways to join them, but I couldn’t find what they were offering me was of any worth. One day, they called a meeting for me and others to attend for an important business proposal. They offered to give me and my companions 1,000,000 pesos to finance an abaca plantation assuring us that this business would soon give us a great financial bulk where we would never be living in poverty any longer. I thought, “Who cares about this business proposal. This is not what I need.” I was longing for
something more to life. I just didn’t understand what it was. For years, God kept me not to be persuaded by the rebel group. When it seemed I can not hold on any longer, I met the SULADS missionary whom God had sent for me. The missionary showed me the things that I can still do and become. Slowly day after day, I found God’s will unfolding within my heart. When it was time for me to decide to study here in the high school, my old life was pulling me away from that hope of a good future. There was a strong battle within me, but the prayers of my new SULADS missionary friend and my brother, who was a SULADS missionary too, brought the desire of my heart to be filled. I can not stop thanking God and praising Him for bringing me into my haven. The high school is a place of refuge and comfort for me. God brought great healing the day I started to study in this school. The warmth and love that our teacher and my classmates have filled my hunger of love from my parents. The daily provisions that God has for all of us are His daily expressions of love. He’s the only one that
can fill and give what is needed in our hearts. I can never exchange the life I have in this place; I can not afford to forfeit and not to live the great light I have received. Most of all, I can not take to live a life not telling others about how God brought a hopeless teenage boy back into life again. My wasted and useless life is now a life filled with definite purpose and worth.
I want to bring the fire of what SULADS has done for me and pass it on to the many young people around... God has used the influences of SULADS missionaries in my brokenness. I want to bring the fire of what SULADS has done for me and pass it on to the many young people around groping in darkness. I will someday be back in my place as a SULADS missionary winning souls for His kingdom. I hope and pray to become a preacher someday to share God’s love to my own people and to the surrounding villages in Surigao. Adrian Ampo Maca is a 9th grade student in SCHSL.
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a y u B
enjamin Aba Photo by: B
diano
MR. CULTURE SAYS
“B
uya” is done to foster relationships in which to expand one’s territory of a certain leader or man of the different tribes in Mindanao. At the age of 5, a Lumad girl can enter into a marriage relationship with an old man or the same age-level boy. How this may work is when a man wants to foster further relationship with his friend, he will offer his daughter, one which may not yet be born, for marriage to his friend. If both friends have children – one has a boy, and the other has a girl, they will arrange to unite their children in marriage. If one friend has a daughter, he may give his own daughter‘s hand in marriage to his friend as his wife. The arrangements and dowry are discussed and settled by the parents or elders of the two sides of the family. The Tribal leaders can acquire as many wives as they want. Wives are considered as properties; so the more wives a man has the more influence and power he can obtain. We will be featuring stories about this very interesting cultural practice of our Lumad brethren in the next pages straight from the students of SCHSL. Keep reading! - Editor
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the
Run-away Bride
I
was called one day to meet someone. When I saw his face, it didn’t give me a good feeling. Being judgmental, I right away saw his pride and folly. I knew fully well that he was just wearing a mask and he just was trying to make a good impression to my family especially to my father. My whole family was trying to convince me that the guy was good, and that his family was also good - a distant relative of my father. Sadly, I couldn’t really see the
goodness they saw in him. I ran away several times and somehow would always be ushered back home. So what I would do was to sleep with my father’s bolo beside me so in case the guy would come and touch me, I would really kill him. I became so desperate to protect myself from the guy every day. The grandmother of the guy could not be stopped anymore from pushing my family to give me to her grandson. When I could not hold the pressure any longer, I SULADS | JAN-MARCH 2015 15
made this biggest step to run and never be found by my mom. She was always the one who diligently looked for me and had found me again and again. When my family finally had understood my resistance and my growing rebellion for the arrangement, they cancelled the “buya�; and I was given my freedom. I thank God I was able to escape from that arrangement because I know I still have so many things to do as a single person. I thanked God that I was able to escape from that arrangement, because I fully know I still have so many things to do as a single
young person. God still has given me a character to develop. Then, I came here to SULADS High School where all my hopes and dreams are getting fulfilled. I fully know that God saved me from an early marriage because He has a great plan for me to be working with Him and to go to many places where I can work for God and serve other people. I know God will bring me into marriage at the right age, probably when I turn 30 years old. I believe God will bring me to marry a man that is ready and who is able to provide. When I get married, I will also be ready with my education and work. I believe in a married joined together by two responsible individuals.
Maricel Lipandag is a Manobo student of SCHSL, currently in her 7th grade.
We would be glad to read your mission stories, comments, and suggestions! You can share it with us at pub@suladsasia.org. 16 SULADS | JAN-MARCH 2015
Let’s Call Off the Wedding!
I
have been given into marriage several times already, and it seems that it didn’t work out between me and those ladies. Almost always before we were to wed, something would happen where the engagement would be cancelled. Rosabel is the 5th lady arranged for me to have as my wife. Rosabel is a nice person, but we happen not to like each other. Despite our hope of a personal preference, we did our best to obey our parents’ wishes and decision. We decided to be in school together in SULADS High School.
In our culture, it is not appropriate for a man and a woman being arranged into marriage to be seen going together or even talk with each other. Before the tribal wedding, the two would act like strangers. So Rosabel and I have never talked even a single word while on campus. We completely acted like strangers that should never connect. This part of our culture is highly respected by the school, our friends, and classmates. Deep in our hearts, we knew we are not meant to be; and SULADS | JAN-MARCH 2015 17
we didn’t want to be married. The time finally came when we have discovered that we were cousins and that we should not be given into marriage. If we pursue the marriage, it will go against the will of God. We both have been converted into the Adventist faith in the high school, and we wanted to follow God’s ideals for His people. We prayed and asked God for our marriage arrangement to be broken. My heart rests on the wonderful hope of a good future the Lord God has for me.
By God’s grace, the answer to our prayer finally has come. Courage has flooded my heart and I have done my best to explain to both of our parents our desire to
cancel the engagement because Rosabel and I want to follow what God wanted. I have expected a big disagreement from our parents, but I have received the opposite - our parents happily agreed with our decision not to get married anymore. At this time, Rosabel and I are happily experiencing our freedom from that arranged marriage. Now, we have a better hope to be married to the person we really like to have. I fully believe God has more for me to do and become because for the fifth time now my marriage engagement has been called off. My heart rests on the wonderful hope of a good future the Lord God has for me.
Willy Tamba (21) & Rosabel Dolen Manib (16) are B’laan students of SCHSL. They are now both in the 9th grade.
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Gladly
Obey given into marriage in a very young age, it happened this time in my teenage years.
B
uya is a handed-down tradition in our culture. It is practiced by all the parents before our parents to secure the future of their children. The children from their parent’s womb would have their husbands or wives already. As a son who have a full understanding of our culture, I have hopes from before to be given a good and beautiful wife someday. I was not
Coming into the high school, I have learned the importance of education to secure my future and the future of my family. I have learned the heavy responsibilities of being a husband that I should be a provider and protector of my wife and family. I am seeing myself to be married later when I have the ability to be a good father. Despite what I have learned in school, the reality of our culture of me being given into an arranged marriage at any age lingered in my mind. One school break, I went home and noticed that my parents SULADS | JAN-MARCH 2015 19
were already setting some plans to match me with a girl from the family who had just transferred to our village. When I saw this young girl that my family was eyeing for me to marry, she seemed like a nice girl; and I also had wished then that she would be given to me as my wife. The break was over, and I went back to school. Then, another break came. I was excited to be home again and along the way people welcomed me with the question, “Naa naman diay ka asawa?” (So you have a wife?) “Huh…? Asawa, wala paman koy asawa.” (Huh, Wife? I don’t have a wife yet.) I didn’t know what was going on in our house while I was away in school. Without my knowledge, that nice girl I was hoping to be matched to, was already in our house. She has been already living there waiting for me. The arrangement between her parents and mine was done, and my parents were planning to send her to school with me. I finally got to talk to her. We easily made each other comfortable,
and I started sharing with her all about my school life in SULADS High School. I asked her if she liked to have me as her husband in the future. I had given her enough space and time to make up her mind if she really wanted to marry me because she still could be free to change her mind before the wedding takes place. To my happiness, she was ok with our engagement. Not long after, we had our tribal wedding. I am still young and so is she. We both made up our mind to finish school first before getting into the real married life status and grow to be more fitted and suited for each other as husband and wife. So, this time we are here in the high school trying to excel at school so that soon we could build a good family. We thank the Lord for this school here where we are also learning precious lessons of God’s plan for marriage and God’s purpose of instituting us as one.
Arwin Blabad (17, 9th grade) & Linlyn Aguirre (14, 7th grade) come from the T’boli tribe.
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H.E.A.L. CORNER
Health | Education Agriculture | Livelihood
From Nothing to Something Selpha Sabas
Teaching here in SCHSL is very challenging. Students here are from different backgrounds with parents who can’t afford to provide money for their projects and other needs in school. God is so good to me to help me open up their minds to think of something from the natural resources around in doing livelihood. I started demonstrating to them on how to make something out of what seems like nothing.
Teacher’s demonstration of making 5 different kinds of dishes from papaya
Students making decorations from the corn husks
Ratan curtain
Hanging plastic bottle decor
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STAFF’S SPACE A Dream for the Young Lumads I have learned from my experience that God wants me to make a difference in all the students’ lives in this school. These students are from different places, tribes, and cultures. When these students arrived, some of them were still eating frogs, pigs, and rats. In their young minds, they thought prayer and singing was enough to be offered to God. I do believe that God is calling these young lumads through this school by our efforts in teaching them the deeper understanding on how to be like Jesus. And now I’m happy because most of our graduates accepted Jesus with faith to serve and be willing to follow Jesus’ footsteps. It’s a great opportunity to serve these young lumads to become mature and faithful in God’s work. I’m thankful to my God because He’s always reminded me of what to advice our students, and I am always reminded to use James 3: 17 in dealing with our students. I believe and am thankful to God that He gives me the chance to be the Principal of SULADS Comprehensive High School for the Lumads before His glorious coming.
Novo Sabas SCHSL Teacher-in-Charge 1st Lumad Principal
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PRAYER LIST Prayer of Praise
“Count the mercies! count the mercies! Number all the gifts of love; Keep a daily, faithful record Of the comforts from above.”
* The support of the following to SCHSL: Mayer Gue of Quezon Captain Gloria Yaba Pastor Caesar Dizon
* For the souls who accepted Jesus as their personal Savior
Prayer Request/Needs SCHSL: Corn Mill ------------ Php 200,000.00 Solar Dryer ----------------150,000.00 ID Maker / Laminator--------3,500.00 Grass cutter ------------------15,000.00 Library Chairs-----------------7,000.00 5 Computers for the Computer Lab Textbooks
YOU TOO CAN HELP! Banco de Oro (BDO) Dollar Account Account Name: SULADS, INC Account Number: 103-2100-35355 Swift Code: BNORPHMM Banco de Oro (BDO) Peso Account Account Name: SULADS, INC Account Number: 321-001-8337 Kindly notify us at care@suladsasia.org about your donation details.
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SNAPSHOT
The first English class at the big rock in SCHSL with Juliet Capistrano.
We would be glad to see your photos in the mission field with the story behind it. Send it to pub@suladsasia.org.
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