By Jay P. Patricio
ILOILO CITY – To strengthen the relationship between a father and a son, to engage them in meaningful activities, and to provide fathers, working away from home, the time to enjoy a moment with their sons, PAREF Westbridge School Inc. held its annual Father and Son Outing.
Westbridge organized four sets of worthwhile activities in three different locations attended by 362 dads and sons.
The primary level, composed of Grades 1, 2, and 3 pupils, immersed themselves with the farm life at the Midway Fresh Market and Restaurant, Passi City, Iloilo last October 7-8. Grades 7 and 8 got cozy to Camp Goducate Phils. Inc., San Miguel, Iloilo last October 14-15, while both the intermediate level, Grades 4, 5, and 6, and the Grades 9 and 10, marveled through the coastlines of Pontevedra, Capiz last October 21-22 and 28-29, 2023 at Maribert Inland Resort.
Hats off! to Farmville Frontier at Midway
The 7-hectare farm became a venue for reflection and rekindling the father-son relationship.
“Parents should prepare for the three hats: the construction’s hat for constructing the pupils’ lives; coach’s hat is when you will see to it that whatever was instructed will be manifested or observed; and the consultant’s hat, where you will only speak if you are asked, or being consulted to,” shared Mr. Bryan Tagabe, the Senior High School Principal in his talk with the primary dads.
Mr. James Michael Pareja, father to Kristoff Jaden and Keith Jacob, felt that at their age, it is very important to spend as much quality time with his boys as possible. He said that although his kids enjoy the occasional gifts, spending time with them will always be ingrained in their minds. They might not be able to appreciate it now, but they will always remember that he was and is present during their childhood.
On the other hand, Mr. Diego Mendoza’s talk with the pupils focused on the virtue of Obedience which included a series of fun activities highlighting the virtue of the month.
In Goducate, we are Buddies for Life!
For a first-time joiner, Mr. Ranill Barliso, father of Luis and Lance, Grades 6 and 7 students, the outdoor bonding activity gave him a deeper connection with his sons.
“This Father and Son outing at Westbridge reminded me that being a provider and protector for my family will not be enough. The best gift I can give them, besides love, is time. Time is incredibly valuable to me, given its limited nature – a gift from God. The time that we have spent in our lives cannot be brought back but the memories will be remembered,” Mr. Barliso shared his experience in Camp Goducate.
He emphasized the importance of creating valuable memories with their children as they go through various life stages. He stressed the need to prioritize time for their sons, as it can help strengthen their bond and actively support their development. He expressed appreciation for Westbridge providing an opportunity to reinforce this important message.
While the duos built their relationship of being “Buddies for Life,” Mr. Ronnie Gilles, the Associate Director for Personal Formation, underscored the great role of the dads in making their sons protectors and not predators.
“The vision of Westbridge for its graduates is that they are Knights who are strong and who have the heart to defend their loved ones, especially their family,” stated Mr. Gilles in his talk with the Grades 7 and 8 dads.
In his talk with the dads, he shared an anecdote of Stephen Covey’s “Begin with the End in Mind.” He asked, “What would a dad want to hear from his son’s eulogy during his funeral?” and he shared Covey’s response to them, “I want to hear my son say that Dad prepared me for the world.”
Mr. Gilles built on Covey’s anecdote that dads should not just prepare their sons for the world but for Life Everlasting.
Finding the ‘One Piece’ and be ‘Buddies for Life’ in Maribert
His speech centered on nurturing purity and the sacred view of sex for boys, Mr. Gerard Eugene Lacaya, PAREF Westbridge School Inc. Executive Director, gave focus to the importance of opening conversations on sex education with dads and their sons.
“Fathers have to start talking to their children about human sexuality in order to prevent negative influences from their peers,” said Mr. Lacaya in his plenary talk with the Intermediate dads.
Furthermore, Mr. Lowell Rublico, the Associate Director for Academic Standards, emphasized the appreciation of sons for their dad through interactive games such as ‘pass the message through a drawing’ where pupils get united, cooperate, and tell the truth through proper communication last October 21-22.
The last set of Father and Son Outing concluded last 28-29 with the Grades 9 and 10 students.
“Sons must hear it from their dads and not from anybody else. These topics should be told by them and must be learned from them by their sons,” Mr. Rex Trugo, in his talk on Manliness and Purity.
The Father and Son outing is an annual activity of Westbridge in line with its philosophies inspired by the teachings of St. Josemaria Escriva: integral education, and parents as the primary character educators of their children.
