THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA
www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 5 Number 11 | AUGUST 2015
PACF property
sold for $2.5M
By: Marilie Bomediano
THE cash-strapped Philippine Australian Community
Foundation can now look to
a rosy future with the sealing
of a $2.5million sale of their
multi-purpose centre property in Schofields.
PACF Board of Trustees
chairman Manny Villon confirmed last month to a group of
Pinoy media reps that the sale of
the property has been secured
with their party and the buyer formally agreeing to a sale contract.
The buyer had already given a
$250,000 down payment with the
remaining balance to be paid out
within the next 90 days.
The sale of the property takes
away the thorny financial stress
that has rocked the board over the
past few years.
“Thanks for the negative and
the positive components, without it we would not have had the
light,” said Mr. Villon who admitted he had to resort to “a lot of
prayers” to make a breakthrough
with the sale.
Earlier this year, the PACF
board reported that it has gone
deep into debts. The foundation
has been struggling with its finances and the selling of the property was, according to Mr. Villion, “the only way out.”
With the expected $2.5million pay-out, the PACF can now
pay its outstanding debts and
will have enough money – about
$1million more or less – to buy a
smaller site but fully paid.
Fiesta welcome
for Papal Nuncio
NEWS
03
A fiesta
atmosphere
greeted the Papal
Nuncio to Australia,
Archbishop Aldolfo
‘Tito’ Yllana, at the
St. Michael’s
Church in
Blacktown last
month.
THE Papal Nuncio held a special Masss for
the Filipino community in a programme arranged by the Diocese of Parramatta, the
Filipino Chaplaincy, and the Bicolano
group Australian Devotees of the Our Lady
of Penafrancia (ADOLP).
Archibishop Yllana, himself a Bicolano, had a day of fellowship with the Filipino
community, many of them coming from the
different Bicolano organisations in NSW.
The archbishop who is based in Canberra is the first Filipino to be appointed as the
Pope’s ambassador to Australia.
Various Fil-Aussie organisations and
church groups came out to bring food and
drinks for the fellowship held after the Mass
at the parish grounds. The Fil-Aussie Catholics, community leaders and whole families, were all happy to welcome the archbishop.
The Archbishop also met some members
of the press and community leaders after the
fellowship to discuss church issues and talk
more about his appointment as Papal Nuncio.
Archbishop Yllana was ordained priest
in 1972 for the Archdiocese of Caceres and
has a Doctorate in Civil and Canon Law.
He entered the Diplomatic Service of the
Holy See in 1984, serving as Apostolic Nuncio in Ghana, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Lebanon,
Hungary and China. He was appointed to
Australia by Pope Francis in February this
year.