Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan—Catholic Bishop Socrates Villegas, head of the Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese, will officiate at the opening of “Silungan na Panangaro” (Shelter of Love) Foundation Inc., in Barangay Sapang here today at 3 pm.
Foundation chairman Fina Dacasin-Parilla said Bishop Villegas would be joined by Mayor Carlito Zaplan, MWSS chairman Reynaldo Velasco, Rev. Fr. Fidelis Layog, former VM Emmanuel Cabangon and foundation president Salvador Bautista.
The shelter is intended to give the poor, the aged, abandoned, orphaned and homeless a place to live in with the unselfish efforts and support of kind-hearted persons.
The facility consists of 1,200 sq.m. lot for the shelter and 2,400 square meters for a church and convent for the servants of charity congregation.
Other officers of the foundation are lawyer C. Maribelle D. Ferrer, Albertini de Guzman and Gilda Bautista-Ison, Manuel V. Velasco, Bernadette Munoz-Ison, Rosalinda Ulanday-Balolong, Olegario T. Macaalay, Jr., and Gracia Sanedrin.
Three years ago, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Local Government Unit of Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan jointly constructed an evacuation center cum multi-purpose building in Barangay Maninding, which was inaugurated last April 2015.
The first of its kind in the Ilocos Region, the evacuation center was intended to serve as a temporary shelter during disasters for families living in low-lying municipalities in the province.
DSWD extended P10 million for the construction of the evacuation center while the LGU of Sta. Barbara provided counterpart support that included the 2,000-sq. m. lot where the evacuation center was built, P1.5 million for additional construction materials, and P2 million for site development.