Metro Infanta Foundation

Metro Infanta Foundation The Foundation addresses issues, concerns and needs--religious, educational, economic, and social--of Metro Infanta, the Prelature of Infanta and beyond.

It also promotes stewardship as a way of life.

A Message of Worth: 12 Years in ColombiaFor over a decade, the Metro Infanta Foundation has had the privilege of walking...
06/24/2026

A Message of Worth: 12 Years in Colombia

For over a decade, the Metro Infanta Foundation has had the privilege of walking alongside El Jardín de la Niña María in Bogotá, Colombia. This safe haven provides education, nutrition, and values-based formation for girls from vulnerable backgrounds.

Thanks to a recent, extraordinary gift of $50,000 from a single donor—part of a $51,000 grant cycle—we are helping these young girls build the confidence they need for a brighter future. Monica Echandia, Executive Director, describes the center ‘s mission beautifully:

“Every scholarship represents far more than access to education—it is a message to a young girl that she is valued, capable, and worthy of a bright future.”

To our donors: your legacy isn't just in the numbers; it’s in the confidence of every girl in this classroom who now knows she is worthy. Thank you for making this 12-year partnership possible!

'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.' (Luke 18:16)

Photo: Stewardship knows no borders. ❤️🇨🇴

Honoring Our Roots in DavaoI just had these wonderful memories pop up from 2017—a Gallup StrengthFinder workshop at the ...
06/23/2026

Honoring Our Roots in Davao

I just had these wonderful memories pop up from 2017—a Gallup StrengthFinder workshop at the Regional Major Seminary (REMASE) of the Archdiocese of Davao. It was such an honor to be invited by Msgr. Abel Apigo (now Bishop of Mati) and to work alongside the wonderful Mary Ann Otto.

This trip was extra special because of the presence of the late Dolly Banzon. Dolly was a devoted member of our Foundation board, and we were so moved to honor her legacy at our recent gala in the Philippines. Seeing her in these photos reminds me that stewardship is a lifelong journey of service.

At the Metro Infanta Foundation, we believe that understanding our God-given strengths is the first step to serving the Church of the Poor. It’s a joy to see how these seeds continue to bloom!

'As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.' (1 Peter 4:10)

Photos: Looking back at a powerful moment of growth!

06/23/2026

Please be aware of someone asking for emergency assistance with a message like this:

Goodpm may pangtransfer ka ba Sa gcash Ngayon ibalik ko din mamaya paguwi ko Ng Bahay may pasok lang Ako may importante lang Ako Babayaran Ngayon nasa gcash Kasi Lahat Ng pambayad ko Hindi kolang mabuksan gcash ko thankyou.

We have received two with one repeatedly calling or sending a message even after we have declined the request!

Fr. Nonong Pili, spiritual director of the St. Joseph Formation House and recipient of the 2022 Bishop Julio X. Labayen,...
06/22/2026

Fr. Nonong Pili, spiritual director of the St. Joseph Formation House and recipient of the 2022 Bishop Julio X. Labayen, OCD, Memorial Award, led the Opening Prayer at the Metro Infanta Foundation’s 2026 Memorial Awards Presentation held at Luxent Hotel in Quezon City on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. Below is a copy of his opening prayer.

Loving God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, today we ask you to bless this gathering. From different corners of the Philippines, and across the continents, the Metro Infanta Foundation, through its President and Founder, Mila Garcia Glodava has gathered us to recognize and honor the individuals who will receive today the 2026 Bishop Julio X. Labayen (JXL) and Cardinal Ricardo J. Vidal (RJV) Memorial Awards:
His Eminence Cardinal Orlando Beltran Quevedo, OMI, receives the JXL Memorial Award. Sr. Angie Donado, O.Carm+ and Fr. Manuel Catral share the RJV Memorial Award for Stewardship.

Together with the other bishops, as the head of the CBCP, Cardinal Quevedo led the Church in the Philippines into formulating the 9 pastoral priorities: integral faith formation, lay empowerment for social transformation, active presence and participation of the poor in the Church, the family as the focal point of evangelization, building up participatory communities that make up the parish as a communion of communities, integral renewal of the clergy, journeying with the youth, ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue, formation and animation to missio ad gentes.

When he was head of the CBCP, Cardinal Vidal promoted the Spirituality of Stewardship, together with Bp Labayen.

Bless these Church leaders and the current President, Archbishop Gilbert Garcera.

Fr Manny Catral evolved in his parish an indigenous model of the spirituality of stewardship. Sr Angie Donado, O.Carm+with her team of co-missionaries worked quietly to support the development of these parish models.

Our gathering today is another significant moment in our journey as a living Church, being and becoming a Church that listens and accompanies God's people towards integral transformation.

Kindly bless the family of Mila who travelled a long way to be here today. I have been a recipient of their hospitality as they welcomed me in their home. Bless all who are present today.

Our common journey is like that of a seed that has been planted and is growing. Bp Labayen calls himself bearer of the Good News. That good news is your Son Jesus who walks among us. It is the foundation of our magnificent humanity. It is an incarnational spirituality, manifested into a spirituality of stewardship, the key to the sustainability of the living Church. It is a gift, and we are stewards of this gift.

And as psalm 85:11 says: "Truth has arisen from the earth, and justice has looked down from the heavens."
Kindly bless this gathering and each of us. Send ur Spirit that we may bloom where we are planted. As psalm 1:3 says: “… like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers."

Fill us with your Spirit that in this gathering we celebrate in joy being bearers of the Good News, stewards of your gifts and bloom where we are planted. We ask this in the name of Jesus your Son who lives and reigns forever in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever snd ever. Amen.

06/21/2026

Fr. Manny Catral lived in a bahay-kubo while he helped transform a quasi-parish into a full-fledged parish, strengthened by Basic Ecclesial Communities and by stewardship spirituality and Christian practices. Long before Pope Francis’s “smell of the sheep” became widely known, Fr. Manny already embodied it—truly walking the talk.

06/20/2026

A life of service… Bishop Julio X. Labayen, OCD

Celebrating 100th birthday and 10th year death anniversaries

Bishop Julio Xavier Labayen, OCD, was born on July 23, 1926, in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, into a large family. After completing his education, including a pre-med degree, he felt a strong vocation to religious life, eventually entering the Discalced Carmelites in the United States, where he professed vows in 1950. He distinguished himself in advanced studies in philosophy, theology, and canon law, and was ordained in 1955.

After ordination, he returned to the Philippines to serve as a parish priest and later as Apostolic Administrator of the Prelature of Infanta, Quezon.

He actively took part in the spirit of Vatican II, applying its principles to local realities, and in 1966 became the first director of the National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA), strengthening the Church’s engagement in social justice. In the broader Philippine Church context, the vision of becoming a “Church of the Poor” took shape prominently during PCP-II in 1991, drawing from Catholic social teaching and earlier inspirations in Vatican II, and later echoed through regional declarations like CELAM’s “preferential option for the poor” and FABC’s similar stance in 1975.

Even before PCP-II, Labayen had already been advancing this direction within the Prelature of Infanta by introducing the “Church of the Poor” in 1979. His leadership focused on marginalized communities—farmers, fishermen, workers, indigenous peoples, and others deprived of external support—through close, community-centered engagement and grassroots dialogue, which deepened the faithful’s trust and affection for him as a paternal shepherd.

Later, in 2003, together with Cardinal Ricardo J. Vidal, he helped introduce stewardship spirituality to bishops, clergy, and laity, leading to further CBCP activities such as the “Day of Reflection on Stewardship” and stewardship seminars; he continued advocating for the poor throughout his life, and passed away on April 27, 2016.

In 2021, the CBCP endorsed stewardship spirituality through a Pastoral Letter and by creating an Episcopal Office on Stewardship.

06/19/2026

What makes parishes come alive?

It is people who freely offer their time, talents, and treasures in service of God and neighbor.

For more than two decades, Fr. Manuel “Manny” Catral has helped nurture a culture of stewardship in communities across the Archdiocese through Basic Ecclesial Communities, care for creation, and the formation of missionary disciples.

Watch the story of this year’s Cardinal Ricardo J. Vidal Stewardship Award recipient and discover how a spirituality of stewardship continues to transform lives, strengthen communities, and renew the Church.

May his witness inspire us to become faithful stewards as we journey together on the path of missionary conversion.

06/18/2026

A Man of Gratitude and Humility—Fr. Manuel “Manny” Catral.

As you watch, you’ll see how his life of gratitude shaped his service—and how his parishioners experienced his leadership.

Time constraints during the Metro Infanta Foundation’s 2026 Memorial Awards Presentation on June 16 at Luxent Hotel, Quezon City limited us to 5-minute videos. The 5-minute video on Fr. Manny Catral—who shared the 2026 Ricardo J. Vidal Memorial Award for Stewardship with the late Sr. Angie Donado, O.Carm+—left many guests wanting to see more.

Fortunately, his Communications Team, led by Ms. Diana Moraleda, has prepared an 18-minute version (Facebook trimmed it to 15 minutes) that we believe deserves a wider audience.

Once the Facebook post is no longer available, we will also share the video through our other social media accounts.

Today, the Metro Infanta Foundation recognizes Fr. Manuel Vicente T. Catral with the 2026 Cardinal Ricardo J. Vidal Memo...
06/17/2026

Today, the Metro Infanta Foundation recognizes Fr. Manuel Vicente T. Catral with the 2026 Cardinal Ricardo J. Vidal Memorial Award for Stewardship for his enduring work in strengthening Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) and advancing stewardship as Christian daily life.

Grounded in missionary conversion and lay empowerment, his approach continues to help communities become more responsive and mission-oriented—fostering participation, service, and shared responsibility, and extending care to the poor and vulnerable.

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