April 30 marked the culmination of the two-week Vincentian Leadership  ˜Train the Trainers Program (VLP) held at the Villa Sta. Luisa, Tagaytay City, Philippines. VLP is a collaborative endeavor of the De Paul University-Chicago (DPU), Adamson University-Manila (AdU) and the Vincentian Center for Asia Pacific (VINCAP) in order to promote the Vincentian legacy and leadership.

It is an adaptation of the Certificate in Values-Centered Leadership offered in De Paul University through Vincent on Leadership: The Hay Project. The VLP’s main objectives are to enhance leadership potentials as well as prepare leaders to carry-on and adapt the training program in their own institutions or associations.

Some 36 participants from 21 different Vincentian Family branches and institutions in Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines joined. The main facilitators were De Paul University’s Fr. J. Patrick Murphy, CM, PhD (Director, School for Public Service) and Sr. Patricia Bombard, BVM, D.Min (Director, Vincent on Leadership: the Hay Project). Meanwhile five other Filipinos who took the leadership course in Chicago and Paris last year, among them Adamson University President, Fr. Gregorio L. Baaga, co-facilitated and gave the contextualization of some topics. Fr. Bienvenido Disu, CM, Visitor of the Philippine Province gave an inspirational message and Fr. Serafin Peralta, CM, APVC Secretary celebrated the closing liturgy. On the eve of their departure, the VLP delegates were given a “Barrio Fiesta” treat. While they ate their dinner served in native trays lined with banana leaves, students and teachers from Adamson University rendered an array of Philippine folk songs, dances and instrumentations. Everyone joined in the fun; even Fr. Murphy & Sr. Pat “hopped” in between two clanging bamboo poles as they attempted to dance “Tinikling”, the Philippine national dance.