Roi Anthoni B. Lomotan
DUMAGUETE CITY, June
16 (PIA) – Some 170 delegates composed of five bishops, 88 priests, 11
religious women and 73 lay employees coming from different dioceses and
archdioceses throughout the country participate in the 17th annual
Arch/Diocesan Financial Administrators of the Philippines (ADFAP) national
convention in Dumaguete City from June 15-19 with the theme “Towards a
Productive Asset Management in the Church.”
The Diocese of
Dumaguete is hosting the event that aims to train church treasurers with
bookkeeping, financial and managerial skills for an effective and efficient
administration of church temporalities in the diocese, diocesan offices and
parishes.
Another objective of
the convention is to help participants develop a deeper understanding on the
provisions of the Canon Law which are related to church possessions and
revenues as well as to familiarize them on some civil laws that deal with these
things.
According to
Rev. Fr. Edgar Macalalag, executive secretary of CBCP-Pension Plan Committee
Board of Trustees, it was in 1994 during the one and a half month legal
and financial management course for diocesan finance officers when a group was
officially formed to train church treasurers on the financial administration
aspect of the church. It was only in 2001 when this group was formally
called ADFAP.
ADFAP is organized by
the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippine (CBCP) – Pension Plan
Committee Office chaired by Palo, Leyte Archbishop John F. Du, D.D. Du is also
the treasurer of CBCP. Its members are the treasurers of different parishes.
ADFAP is guided by its
vision and mission statement -- "to be faithful stewards of the temporal
goods of the archdioceses, dioceses, prelatures and apostolic vicariates."
To achieve this, the
group commits to be honest and trustworthy servants working for the values of
transparency, accountability and prudence. (mbcn/ral/PIA7-Negros Oriental/ with
reports from Rev. Fr. Edgar Macalalag, executive secretary of CBCP-Pension Plan
Committee Board of Trustees)