24/09/2026
๐๐ข๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก: ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ญ๐ณ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก ๐๐ก๐ง๐ข ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ก ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ก๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐จ๐ก๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฆ
What begins in formation takes on new meaning when it is lived alongside people and communities.
For the young leaders of the Institute of Formation Fondacio Asia (IFFAsia) Batch 17, this became the heart of their first week in the field as they began the "๐๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ: ๐๐ฐ, ๐๐ฏ๐ด๐ฑ๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ" Mission Project 2026 in Zamboanga and Basilan, Philippines.
Running from September 17 to October 4, the mission project brings participants into communities across Zamboanga City, Basilan Province, and Zamboanga Sibugay. Guided by the theme "๐๐ช๐ญ๐จ๐ณ๐ช๐ฎ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ: ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐๐ฉ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ช๐ค๐ฆ," the immersion invites them to translate months of formation into concrete experiences of youth leadership, community engagement, cultural exchange, faith, service, interreligious dialogue, and care for creation.
The 16-member delegation includes 12 participants, one intern, and three staff members, bringing together young people and formators from across Asia. In partnership with the Claretian Missionaries โ Solidarity and Mission, their first days became a journey of listening, learning, building relationships, and discovering how hope can take shape through encounter.
๐ฝ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐
๐ค๐ช๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ค๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐พ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ
The mission officially began on September 17, when the IFFAsia delegation arrived in Zamboanga City.
One of their first engagements was a courtesy visit to the Zamboanga City Government, where Chief of Staff and Executive Secretary Celso Lobregat welcomed the group and introduced them to the city's heritage, history, culture, identity, and language traditions.
It offered the participants an initial window into the community they were entering, grounding the mission not only in activities to be accomplished but in understanding the people, culture, and history of the place.
The delegation also had a meaningful encounter with Most Rev. Julius S. Tonel, Archbishop of Zamboanga. His welcome and sharing offered the young leaders another perspective on a local Church seeking to walk with its people and serve through love.
For the participants, the encounter became an invitation to approach the mission with open hearts, ready to listen, learn, and respond to the realities they would encounter.
๐ฟ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐จ, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐พ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ฃ๐
On September 18, the participants continued their immersion through encounters with young people in Zamboanga City.
Claret School of Zamboanga City welcomed the group for a campus visit, bringing together young people from different cultures and backgrounds through moments of friendship, cultural exchange, faith, and fellowship.
That same day, another encounter brought the mission back to its foundation: the Word of God.
Together with members of the Claretian Youth Ministry, the 12 young leaders gathered for Bible sharing and reflected on Matthew 20:1โ16, the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.
Coming from different countries, cultures, and experiences, they reflected on comparison, grace, calling, and the courage to respond when God invites a person into mission. Their sharing brought forward a simple realization: formation is not a competition, and each person enters the journey with a different story and at a different pace.
The evening was captured in three reflections:
๐๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฑ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ด, ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
๐๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด, ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ญ.
๐๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด, ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐บ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ.
For a group beginning an immersion among unfamiliar communities, the reflection offered a fitting orientation. Their differences did not have to disappear for them to walk together. Instead, diversity itself could become part of the experience of mission.
๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐พ๐ค๐ข๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฝ๐๐จ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ
The journey then brought participants to Basilan, where their encounters moved deeper into community life.
From September 19 to 20, IFFAsia participants joined the Claretian Youth MinistryโTumahubong at San Vicente Ferrer Parish for a two-day youth encounter centered on friendship, faith, cultural exchange, and service.
Through getting-to-know-you activities, games, sharing, and an "๐๐ด๐ช๐ข ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ," the young people encountered cultures beyond their own while discovering common hopes and aspirations.
What began with unfamiliarity gradually became friendship. The participants' different languages and nationalities became opportunities for curiosity and dialogue, not barriers.
For the young people of Tumahubong, the gathering offered a chance to experience Asia's richness through their visitors. For the IFFAsia participants, it provided an equally important opportunity to listen and enter the lives of young people in the community.
The encounter reflected one of the Mission Project's central dimensions: formation deepens not only through what participants bring to communities, but also through what they receive and learn from the people they meet.
๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฝ๐๐จ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ'๐จ ๐
๐ค๐ช๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ฎ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
On September 20, the participants encountered another dimension of life in Basilan by visiting the headquarters of the 32nd Infantry (Daredevil) Battalion in Barangay Tumahubong, Sumisip.
Together with Rev. Fr. Arvin B. Bellen, CMF, and Claretian mission partners, the group engaged with soldiers and learned about Basilan's peace and security situation, as well as the roles communities, government institutions, faith-based organizations, and civil society play in supporting peace and local development.
LTC Gerwin T. Maghuyop, the battalion's commanding officer, emphasized that the encounter was also an opportunity for mutual learning.
"๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ถ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ, ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ," he told the delegates.
He expressed hope that the encounter would help the young leaders better understand the people of Basilan, their aspirations for peace, and the ongoing efforts of different sectors to build stronger, more peaceful communities.
For participants, the visit broadened their understanding of peacebuilding. It presented peace not simply as the absence of conflict, but as a shared responsibility requiring dialogue, mutual respect, cooperation, and participation from different sectors of society.
๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฝ๐๐จ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ'๐จ ๐
๐ค๐ช๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ฎ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
On September 21, the mission continued at Claret School of Tumahubong in Sumisip.
Welcomed by School Principal Agnes B. Rabaca, the IFFAsia participants entered the classrooms to meet students, exchange experiences, and share moments of music and dance.
IFFAsia Director Florence Alexius spoke with the students about becoming good youth leaders and the importance of keeping hope alive. A symbolic dance presentation by the IFFAsia group likewise encouraged young people to live with purpose and persevere through difficulties.
Rather than staying on stage, the participants visited classrooms, creating opportunities for closer interaction with students. Through conversations, music, movement, and shared experiences, the encounter sought to make hope something people could experience through presence and relationship.
The group also visited Claret School of Maluso, Inc., where another school community welcomed them into its activities. The delegates participated in the school's SciMath Slogan and Painting Contest and joined students in a game of soccer, creating informal spaces for friendship, teamwork, and cultural exchange.
The school later expressed its gratitude for the participants' presence, describing the visit as an opportunity to strengthen friendship, unity, and cooperation.
Across these school encounters, leadership was no longer simply a subject discussed during formation. It was practiced through presence, participation, listening, encouragement, and the willingness to meet young people where they were.
๐ฝ๐ช๐๐ก๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง
As their Basilan immersion continued, the delegates also paid a courtesy visit to Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman at the Provincial Capitol in Lamitan City on September 24.
Governor Hataman welcomed the delegation and expressed support for initiatives that promote service, cultural understanding, and stronger community engagement.
The encounter added another perspective to the participants' growing understanding of Basilan. Across schools, youth communities, Church spaces, local institutions, and encounters with those involved in peace and development, they were being introduced to a community through the experiences of the people who live and serve there.
These encounters also reflected the Mission Project's broader purpose: to help young leaders step beyond familiar environments and engage communities with openness, respect, and a willingness to learn.
๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐ง๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ค๐ข๐๐จ ๐๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ
The first week of Hope in Action brought IFFAsia Batch 17 through very different spaces: a city hall, an archbishop's residence, schools and classrooms, a parish community, a military camp, and the provincial government.
Yet a common thread connected them.
Mission was taking place through encounter.
Whether sharing Scripture with fellow young people, learning about another culture, listening to stories of peacebuilding, entering classrooms, playing soccer with students, or meeting Church and community leaders, the participants were being invited to experience formation beyond the walls of IFFAsia.
Their first week showed that walking as "๐๐ช๐ญ๐จ๐ณ๐ช๐ฎ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ" does not mean arriving in communities with all the answers. It also means being willing to listen, receive, learn, and let encounters with others shape one's understanding of leadership and service.
As the Mission Project continues through Zamboanga and Zamboanga Sibugay until October 4, more communities, stories, and experiences await Batch 17.
For now, their first days in the field have already given concrete meaning to the project's vision: hope-filled young people living with purpose, walking in love, and witnessing Christ through service to others and care for creation.
