Convened by the Regional Trustee, Rev. Fr. Nolan A. Que, PhD, the CEAP-NCR Regional Council charted its directions, priorities, and programs for the next three years during a two half-day workshop held on April 14-15, 2021. Held virtually, the planning session was attended by the Trustees and the Committee chairpersons along with two representatives whose contributions during the breakout meetings and plenary proved very essential in the formulation of the dispositions of the Council given the realities faced by the member schools in the National Capital Region.
The proceedings of the sessions include a Eucharistic celebration presided by Fr. Que, and two input sessions on the defining characteristics of the Philippine Catholic Schools Standards (PCSS) and reflections based on Pope Francis’s message dovetailed as the Global Compact on Education delivered during a meeting organized by the Congregation for Catholic Education led by Rev. Fr. Alain P. Manalo and the mission goals of the CEAP presented by Ms. Mary Ann S. Cruz, Deputy Executive Director of CEAP. Anchored on the premise that the Council was to chart its pathways for a three-year timeline, the presentations of both Fr. Alain and Miss Cruz provided the compass and anchor points in the articulation of the aspirations of the team. It was through these segments that the attendees caught the drift of how to formulate the plans that deliberately manifest alignment with the standards expected of Catholic schools as expressed in the domains of the PCSS and the attestations of the National CEAP in terms of its pathways and roadmaps. A salient feature of the assembly was the crafting of the region-wide hallmark project facilitated by Sr. Christine M. Pinto, OSB, Vice- Trustee. The proceedings allowed the team to dwell on the contention that the Council should provide an exemplar in radiating collaborations between and among member schools. This, as Sr. Christine puts it, may be realized by way of a twinning among the Committees in the roll out of the programs that support the hallmark project. Additionally, there was a consensus as regards the centrality of the hallmark project in the pursuit of programs and activities for SY 2021-2023. Moreover, the Committees were assigned to their respective breakout rooms to replicate the model of the region-wide plan and formulate a three-year Committee plan based on the pronouncements of the Regional Council as well as the priority areas inherent to their Committees, which include the Advocacy, Basic and Tertiary Education Committees, Administrative Affairs, Registrar, Library Committee, among others. These plans were presented during the plenum on the second day, where insights and recommendations were lodged by the other attendees for purposes of substantiating the plans.
The workshops capped with a closing message and spiritual blessing from Rev. Fr. Emilio A. Escano, LRMS, Trustee.
Mr. Jose Ramelle E. Javier, CEAP-NCR Basic Education Committee Chairperson, very ably facilitated the CEAP-NCR Strategic Planning ensuring that each session started and ended on time.