(ANS – Cebu City) – Don Bosco Technical College (DBTC) – Cebu inaugurated, blessed, and formally received the Bugsay Leadership Center on March 4, 2026. The facility includes a 300-seat auditorium and a library that will serve as spaces for learning, leadership formation, and community activities.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), led by Ms. Amaya Cristina Aboitiz-Fansler, RAFI President and CEO, along with Salesian leaders: Fr. Fidel Ma. Orendain, SDB, Fr. Rafael Bejarano, SDB, Fr. William Matthews, SDB, and Fr. Amelito Narciso Racelis, SDB, Provincial Superiors from East Asia and Oceania, Salesians, faculty members, students, and partners.

In his opening remarks, Rev. Fr. Randolph A. Figuracion, SDB, Rector and President of DBTC – Cebu, welcomed the guests and highlighted the importance of the new facility for the school community.

The formal inauguration was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Ms. Amaya Cristina Aboitiz-Fansler, together with Salesian leaders and RAFI executives. This was followed by the unveiling of commemorative markers honoring the late Roberto Eduardo M. Aboitiz, whose Bugsay Philosophy inspired the project.

The Bugsay Philosophy teaches that each person holds a “bugsay,” or paddle, symbolizing the responsibility to guide one’s life with courage, wisdom, and purpose. It encourages individuals to take an active role in shaping their future and contributing to the community.

The partnership between the Aboitiz family and Don Bosco Cebu spans nearly 70 years. It began when Don Ramon Aboitiz donated the 4.5-hectare property where the school now stands, establishing a long-standing relationship of support for education and youth formation.

Following the inauguration, Rev. Fr. William Matthews, SDB, Regional Councilor for East Asia and Oceania, presided over the blessing of the center.

The program then continued in the auditorium with messages from key partners. Rev. Fr. Fidel Ma. D. Orendain, SDB, General Councilor for Social Communications, former FIS Provincial Superior, and former Rector of DBTC Cebu, spoke about the collaboration behind the project and its impact on the formation of young leaders.

A message of gratitude was delivered by Jerard Rhaymund Ursal, a Grade 11 student, on behalf of the project’s beneficiaries. Ms. Amaya Cristina Aboitiz-Fansler also shared remarks on the continuing partnership between RAFI and Don Bosco Cebu.

The ceremony concluded with the ceremonial turnover of the Bugsay Leadership Center, with Ms. Aboitiz-Fansler formally handing over the facility to Fr. Figuracion on behalf of DBTC Cebu.