Written By: Imee Dela Pasion
“God prepares His people for such a time as this!” – Dr. Charles Labarda, ACM 2025 Speaker
IVCF Philippines held its Annual Corporation Meeting on August 30, 2025, at Capital City Alliance Church and via Zoom, with 165 members present and 17 present by proxy out of 265 registered members. Graduates and students from all over the Philippines and abroad gathered for a period of worship and reflection, as well as to hear the annual reports and ratify the 2025-26 Annual Plan & Budget.
Dr. Charles Labarda, former IVCF staff and current Dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of the Philippines Manila, delivered an encouraging Bible reflection based on the meeting’s theme of engagement. He likened believers to “mustard seeds,” small yet powerful agents of change in a troubled world. Drawing from Genesis 41:37-40 and the story of Joseph, Dr. Labarda reminded participants that God is actively preparing His people, shaping character in times of waiting, and never forgetting them. He urged the body to trust God during uncertain times without fear or panic and to respond with humility and courage during moments of success, recognizing that all blessings serve God’s purposes. The reflection closed with a heartfelt worship song, setting a reverent tone for the business portion of the day.
The Board Chair, Dr. Ramon Tecson, called the business meeting to order, confirmed quorum, and led the approval of minutes from the previous year. He delivered the Board Chair’s report, highlighting key actions and decisions relating to leadership, governance, stewardship, membership, and the Inter-Varsity Leaders’ Development Center (IVLDC).
The Board Treasurer, Mr. Jerome Montes, followed with the financial report, sharing how God’s providence enabled IVCF to achieve financial resilience, reversing prior losses and finishing the fiscal year with strong cash flow. He gave glory to God and affirmed the team involved in stewarding resources, encouraging continued faith for the future.
The National Director, Ms. Florina “Di” Fernandez, gave an inspiring report on how God enabled IVCF to grow deep and build up through the progress and challenges faced by IVCF over the past year. She praised God for the expansion of the student ministry from 160 to 173 campuses and the increase in Christian fellowships from 136 to 159. She spotlighted the revitalized IV Graduate Council and the Cross-Currents program for graduate equipping. A testimony from the International Students Ministry illustrated its positive impact beyond just international students to Filipino students as well. Ms. Fernandez also acknowledged the growth and expanding capacity of IVCF staff, concluding by encouraging all to become “oaks of righteousness,” embracing God’s call through Isaiah.
Much of the business session focused on the 2025-2026 Annual Plan and Budget, presented by Ms. Fernandez. Attendees engaged in discussions about the budget and organizational priorities, confirming a budget of 39.6 million pesos. The plan centers on five strategic areas summarized as Impact (student engagement), Influence (graduate development), Internal (staff culture), Income (financial sustainability), and Identity (mission alignment).
The meeting also featured the promotion of a newly released book, Walking With Jesus: Reflections from a Disciple, a collection of Dr. George Capaque’s sermons distilled into a devotional format. All proceeds will go into the construction and programs of the IV Leaders Development Center.
The final phase of the meeting was reflective and celebratory. An “In Memoriam” video honored former IVCF staff who passed away in the past year. The contributions of 2024-25 Regional Council members and outgoing board members Dr. Ramon Tecson and Dr. Don Huan were acknowledged with gratitude. Resigned staff Ms. Crissa Faith Blanco and Ms. Sarah Jane Golingay were also recognized for their faithful service.
Dr. Meredith Labarda, Chair of the 2025 Board Nominations Committee, announced the newly elected Board Members. Mr. Jerome Montes and Engr. Dioscoro Marañon were re-elected for another 3-year term. New board members Ms. Catalina Avila will serve from 2025-28 and Atty. Constantino Drio will serve from 2025-26. Board of Trustee Mr. Rex Capuno introduced new staff and the Regional Council members who will serve this year 2025-26. Dr. Melba Maggay then led the commissioning prayer for the new board members, new staff, and current council members, emphasizing collective commitment to the ministry.
The meeting closed with a prayer, expressing hope and faith as IVCF moves forward in its mission to disciple students and graduates for Christ.
LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIR
Ms. Leonora A. Gonzales
6 September 2025
To my dear Ka-IVgans,
As the new Chair of the IVCF Board of Trustees, I would like to thank everyone who participated in the Annual Corporation Meeting (ACM) on August 30, 2025. Ninety-two Corporation members trooped to the Capital City Alliance Church (my home church) while 73 participated through Zoom. There were IVCF members who represented nine regions from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. I would also like to thank Dr. Ramon Tecson, our former Chair, for his steady leadership in the past year.
Right after the ACM, I was fortunate to participate in the Regional Councils’ Summit, wherein the regional directors and representative regional council members from the nine regional units met face-to-face with the National Staff Leaders and IVCF Board. (More on this in my succeeding letters.) Suffice it to say that after one day and a half, my main take away was that I am so blessed to be part of IVCF in all the nine regions represented during the Summit. Also, the IVCF today is not the same IVCF that I joined in 1973 when I was a student in UP Diliman.
We elected four members of the Board of Trustees – two current ones were re-elected and two new ones were elected for the first time.
Our new Vice Chair is Engineer Dioscoro ‘Nonoy’ Maranon. Nonoy is from Bacolod and has been with the Board since 2023. He has been instrumental in pursuing our plans for the construction of the IV Leaders Development Center (IVLDC). Our Corporate Secretary is Dr. Lorelei Vinluan. This is her second year as Secretary. Lei teaches at the UP College of Education. She is our mental health expert in the Board. Our treasurer is from Samar – Jerome Montes. This is his third year as Treasurer, and has since then guided the Board with his analytical skills in operations and finance. JM is the youngest member of the Board.
The other members of the Board are Dr. Melba Maggay, who needs no introduction. Ate Melba has deep institutional memory of IVCF having worked as a staff in the 70s and has wide and deep friendships with many IVCF alumni. Engineer Rex Capuno uses his background in the planning and conceptualization of the IVLDC. He works with a mission organization, and has development experience along with his wife, Mutya, a former IVCF staff. Dr. Meredith ‘Medith’ Labarda, is from Leyte. She is the medical doctor in the Board. Her experience in community health and academe have been helpful during deliberations.
A new Trustee is Catalina ‘Cathy’ Avila from Northern Mindanao. Cathy retired as Vice President of the Development Bank of the Philippines and was formerly Chair of the Northern Mindanao Regional Council. Another new Trustee is a practicing CPA lawyer, Atty. Constantino ‘Ton’ Drio. I look forward to working with our two new members who, with their rich IVCF experience on the ground and the workplace, would substantially contribute to the direction that IVCF would pursue in the coming year.
Overall, we have a Board that is intergenerational and multidisciplinary in experiences and educational backgrounds.
As I start my term as Chair, I ask each one of you to pray for me and the other members of the Board. Pray for Di Fernandez and our 45 staff. Our overall theme for our programs and operations in 2025-2026 is Engage. This is a critical year as we strengthen the regionalization of IVCF while remaining strong as one movement in the entire country. As our Kuya George Capaque said in Walking with Jesus,* “We will never run out of things to trust God for.”
There are two undertakings that are particularly close to my heart: the IVLDC and student representation in the Board.
The Board, with support from the staff, has embarked on an ambitious undertaking – the construction of the IVLDC and development of programs that will equip servant-leaders and disciples of Christ through biblically-based, holistic and relevant training programs. The overall cost for the two-story building and program development will be PhP33M. This IVLDC cost is in addition to the PhP39.6M operational budget for this new academic year.
We hope IVLDC will not only help churches and faith-based organizations but also impact civil society, government and the business community. One of my personal dreams is to see more government officials, like local chief executives, especially Sangguniang Kabataan officials use our IVLDC to be better in their governance and truly understand what it means to govern as salt and light in our decaying society. By the grace of God and with the support of fellow Ka-IV-gans in the Philippines and abroad, the IVLDC should stand out as a global and local leaders center.
This year, we hope to come up with guidelines on the selection and duties of the student representatives in the Board. This process will go through a series of consultations with our regional councils. This was one of the 2024-25 Board resolutions ratified by the Corporation at the ACM. The Board Committee on Corporate Governance has been tasked to draft the guidelines. God willing, we hope to have student representatives in the Board starting in 2026-2027.
I am proud of my Dugong IV. I stand on the shoulders of giants from our movement. I have been mentored and nurtured by loving ‘Ates.’ I intend to pay it forward through my service and new position in the Board. While some of my past and current BOT colleagues have regional experience, my understanding of IVCF has been shaped largely by IVCF’s historical roots in Manila. I am eager to expand this perspective by traveling to the various regions and providing pastoral care to our soldiers on the ground, fostering greater unity among the diverse communities we serve.
Like many of you, I am driven by Manong Bel’s dream. I still remember the 2023 National Conference, and am still challenged by Ate Lisa Espineli-Chinn’s inspiring message on the call for us to be oaks of righteousness. (I still have that acorn from her backyard.)
‘They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.’ Isaiah 61:3 (NIV)
I am humbled to be elected as Chair. My husband, Josil, is afraid for me. I am too passionate daw kasi. OA sometimes to a fault, that I tend to sleep less and get more migraine attacks.
When I retired from the World Bank in 2019, I decided that I will not call my retirement period my sunset years, as many describe it. Many would even say that at our age, we are already in the predeparture area.
I refuse such mindsets. I fully embrace my senior years, with all the discounts and privileges. But this is my new sunrise. And I call on everyone to keep shining and do not think of the predeparture flights. Why, we have not even made our bookings yet. So much to be done, by the grace of God.
*Walking with Jesus: Reflections from a Disciple is a recent book by George Capaque, on sale in the Philippines and abroad, to raise funds for the IVLDC.
By buying this book, you will help build the 𝗜𝗩 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 (IVLDC), as ALL proceeds of the book will go into the construction and implementation of programs of the IVLDC.
Click this link to pre-order this book: https://forms.gle/
