5,000 delegates expected at PREX National Convention in GenSan!

Everything is ready for General Santos City’s hosting of the 11th PREX National Convention!  This is a gathering of 5,000 of the country’s Catholic faithful who took the PREX or Parish Renewal Experience Seminar in their respective parishes.

The PREX Seminar first started in Manila in the 80s and has since spread all over the Philippines, reaching Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Parish, dowtown GenSan  in 1988 and eventually, all the parishes in the Diocese of Marbel, including the most active for its number of outreaches, the Sts. Peter and Paul Parish of Barangay Lagao, GenSan.

(Trivia:  The parents of Bariles were graduates of Batch #1 at OLPGV while he himself was a member of Batch #81.)

When the first PREX National Convention was started, it was meant  to gather members and officers of the different PREX parishes (or parishes which conduct regular PREX seminar) to listen and learn from the talks and testimonaial speeches of invited speakers from the clergy and the laity.

The conduct of the 11th PREX National Convention in GenSan is the fruition of years of hard work of the the Kuya’s and Ate’s (as they call each other) from PREX-Lagao, which has conducted the most number of outreach PREX SEMINARS in Mindanao and the Visayas (including Cebu).  They also spearhead the annual PREX Family Day where they invite all their outreach parishes from Mindanao and the Visayas.

For this convention, PREX Lagao’s Kuya Bebot and Ate Meme Haw were designated as Convention Assistant Chaircouple.

Anyway, about 5,000 PREX graduates are expected to converge in GenSan for the three-day affair and the local PREX Convention Secretariat has tapped different schools in the city to serve as billeting centers for those who could not be accommodated in the hotels.

And as with past and succesful conventions in General Santos, security is very tight especially for the whole month of February 2010 where we will also be hosting the National Conventions of the Philippine Councilors League, the Population, Health and Environment, and the Rotary Clubs of the Philippines.

The theme for the 11th PREX National Convention is “The Call to Social Transformation”. Convention dates are from February 19, 20, and 21, 2010.

Assigned to give talks and preside in the masses are the following:

• Most Rev. Dinualdo G. Gutierrez, DD (Bishop of Marbel) – Presider & Homilist for Talk 1:  “Social Transformatio, Where to Begin? Humility aand HOpe”
• Msgr. Jesus Romulo C. Ranada, NAPPS National Spiritual Director – Inspirational Talk
• Rev. Fr. Domingo Salonga, Parish Priest, Holy Cross Parish, Gen. T.De Leon Valenzuela City, Commission on Formation Chairman, Diocese of Malolos- Speaker for Talk2: “Mary’s Life: A Model of Discernment”
• Most Rev. Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB,DD (Bishop of Maasin) – Speaker for Talk 3: “Care for the Environment: A Moral & Social Responsibility”
• Most Rev. George B. Rimando, DD (Auxilliary Bishop of Davao)– Speaker for Talk 4: “Prayer & Social Transformation”
• Rev. Fr. Ramon Ramos, CP, Parish Priest, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Sun Valley, Paranaque, Metro Manila – Speaker Talk 5: “Building the Kingdom of God thru Social Transformation”
• Ambassador Henrietta “Tita” de Villa, Chairperson, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) – Speaker for Talk 6: “Discerning for the Common Good: The Call to Clean and HOnest Elections”
• Most Rev. Jose Colin M. Bagaforo, DD (Auxilliary Bishop of Cotabato) – Speaker for Talk 7: “Achieving Peace & Social Transformation thru Inter-Faith Dialogue”

We will be featuring the schedule of activities here later, so please check back for updates.  Thanks.