Vision-Mission Statement

Don Bosco Technical College in Mandaluyong City is an empowered Educative-Pastor

al Community that educates and evangelizes the youth to become servant-leaders i
n the Church of the poor and benchmarks in the field of technology.
We enable the youth, especially the marginalized, to assert gospel and authentic
Filipino values in their daily affairs, and to contribute to social progress th
at is based on justice with charity, prosperity with honor, and technology with
a soul.
To realize our vision, we journey with the youth in an environment permeated by
the Salesian Preventive System, characterized by a culture of excellence and com
petence, committed to higher and continuous learning, and networking with all th
e forces that work for the good of the youth.
The Educative-Pastoral Community (EPC)
As the body is one, having many members, and all the members, while being many,
form one body, so it is with Christ. All of us have been baptized in one Spirit
to form one body and all of us have been given to drink from the one Spirit. (1
Cor 12:12-13)
The mission is not realized by the SDB community alone, but with a vast movement
of persons taking part in it. It involves young people and adults, parents and
educators, in a family atmosphere, so that it can become a living experience of
the Church and an indication of God's plan for us. (GC 24, 39)
We shift from the exclusive responsibility of the religious community to that of
an ecclesial community sharing responsibility. If previously such a model could
be thought of as optional or alternative, today it is clear that it is our norm
al form of presence and action. We must learn to make it function in the terms w
hich have been stated or perhaps dreamed. (ACTS 361, 3)
Shared responsibility, expressed in dialogue, in teamwork, in the organization o
f structures and adequate organisms and in the search for financial resources, s
hould be promoted at every level (GC 24, 117). The SDB community should see to i
t that the laity participate in decision-making (pedagogical and pastoral perspe
ctives, new mission fields, financial implications, constructions and restructur
ing) (GC 24, 123).
The SDB community should set up or consolidate the Council of the EPC and/or the
Council of the Work, as the central organism which animates and coordinates the
whole Salesian enterprise, through reflection, dialogue, and the programming an
d revision of the educative and pastoral activity. These Councils should be made
up of those SDBs and lay persons who have roles of responsibility in the EPC, i
n line with the criteria defined at provincial level. (GC 24, 171)
For the Council of the EPC or the Council of the Work, it is the task of the Pro
vincial and his Council to determine the criteria of composition; define the com
petencies; establish the levels of shared responsibility and the areas of decisi
on; and indicate the method of the necessary linkage with the local council of t
he Salesian community. (GC 24, 171)
As the Council of the Work / EPC is the animating nucleus, the Salesian communit
y is the point of reference of this Council of the Work / EPC. (Conclusions of t
he East Asia - Australia Team Visit, Cheung Chau, 21-26 Feb 2000)
The SDBs remain as guarantors before the local Church of the Catholic and Salesi
an ethos of the school. (GC 24, 27)
The rector has the primary responsibility for the EPC. In it the final word will
belong to him. However, it is always in dialogue with his council. (GC 24, 172)
Within the Council of the EPC and the Council of the Work, the SDB rector has a
specific task that must be precisely defined. (GC 24, 161)
The Salesian Educative-Pastoral Plan is a criterion and guide for shared action,
a verification for the activity of the EPC, a practical instrument for animatio

n, and a privileged means for the ongoing formation of SDBs and laity. (GC 24, 4
2)
The principal basic requisites asked of the lay person coming to the Salesian mi
ssion are:
Personal coherence, so as to become an educative point of reference for the youn
g;
Educative attitude and sensitivity to the youth condition, especially the poor;
Empathy for Don Bosco and his method of education;
Openness to God and respect for diversity (GC 24, 164)
The progressive involvement and assuming of responsibility call for the gradual
growth of the lay educator. The areas of concern are:
Human maturity: balanced, has rapport, ethically sound, sensitive to social valu
es & ready for ongoing formation
Educative competence: positively motivated, professionally prepared, cordially o
pen to people & styles of animation, sensitive to the pastoral side of education
Salesian identity: attentive to needy youth, progressive knowledge & practice of
the preventive system, concrete presence in the midst of youth, willingness to
live the local EPP
Christian witness: coherence of faith and participation in ecclesial life (GC 24
, 164)
Church of the Poor (PCP 2)
Now all the believers lived together and shared all their belongings. They would
sell their property and all they had, and distribute the proceeds to others acc
ording to their need. (Acts 2: 44-45)
The community combines detachment from possessions with a profound trust in the
Lord.
The better off orients and tilts the center of gravity of the entire community i
n favor of the needy. They collaborate with the poor themselves and with others
to lift up the poor from poverty.
The pastors and leaders give preferential attention and time to those who are po
or, and generously share their own resources in order to alleviate them.
The poor are not discriminated against because of poverty, and are not deprived
of their right to receive in abundance the help of her spiritual goods.
The poor are not only evangelized but are enabled to become themselves evangeliz
ers.
The community does not remain silent before the exploitation of the poor and for
which reminds the rich of their precise duties, condemns injustices, defends, a
nd vindicates the rights of the oppressed.
The drawing of plans needs to be drawn up not only for the poor, but with them,
so that by following them they will be able to manage their own lives. (GC 23, 2
12)
Servant-Leaders
You call me Master and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I, then, your Lo
rd and Master, have washed your feet, you also must wash one anothers feet. I ha
ve just given you an example that as I have done, you also may do. (Jn 13: 13-14
)
Our objective is to help young people to discover their own niche in the buildin
g of the Kingdom and to will it with joy and determination. (GC 23, 150)
An efficacious education to the social dimension of charity constitutes a verifi
cation of our ability to communicate the faith. (GC 23, 208)
For communities working in the contexts of economic well-being, it will be a mat
ter of physically introducing young people into the world of those men and women

who are asking for solidarity and help. It is not just a question of gaining ex
perience The objective is to meet persons, to share their human drama. This will
lead to the overcoming of a certain mentality disposed to serve the poor but no
t to share their life. (GC 23, 211)
Education to solidarity means that charity must be an expression of ones own enc
ounter with Christ. (GC 23, 213)
The volunteer movement frequently constitutes a significant vocational outcome a
nd a valid endorsement of the educative process followed by young people with SD
Bs, and of the plan to provide other openings for youth in pastoral work Availab
ility for service leads to various kinds of volunteer work and other committed l
ife choices. (GC 24, 26)
Political Participation is a sector we have somewhat overlooked or disowned. But
the Church's commitment to justice and peace is a challenge we have to accept,
and a risk we have to take. Our work is to set young people on the road to commi
tment and participation in public life. (GC 23, 214, 192)
The Church asks the past pupils to accept when necessary the responsibility for
making decisions in the family, at work, in the financial sector, in politics, a
sking themselves what effects their options will have on those who are weak, on
the defenseless, on those who cannot speak for themselves. (Exallievi di Don Bos
co, May 1997)
It is not a question of making the past-pupils poor; it is a matter of bringing
it about that the person in a prestigious position should have this active desir
e of service and show practical concern for those most in need. (Exallievi di Do
n Bosco, May 1997)
The principle of service is what separates true leaders from glory seekers.
then the conditions of empowerment are in place, servant-leadership creates powe
rful results.
servant-leadership is "building people through the accomplishment of tasks," rat
her than "accomplishing tasks through people."
servant-leaders are people with humility. These are the people who are willing t
o share their vulnerability with their people. Doing so, they become team player
s.
the servant-leader is a transformational leader. The goal of transformational le
adership is to "transform" people and organization in a literal sense- to change
them in mind and heart; enlarge vision, insight, and understanding; clarify pur
poses; make behavior congruent with beliefs, principles, or values; and bring ab
out changes that are permanent, self-perpetuating, and momentum building (Covey,
Principle Centered Leadership, 1992).
in the modern organization, leadership must not involve ordering people around,
but respecting the contribution they can (and want to) make. This is a view of l
eadership called servant leadership. The process of servant leadership is two-fo
ld: articulating a vision for the organization and giving employees what they ne
ed to carry out the vision. The usual view of what employees need under servant
leadership is empowerment; that is, control over resources and the authority to
make decisions. (Wright & Noe, Management of Organizations, 1996)
the Preventive System can be negative if it is a method that is paternalistic, a
uthoritarian, defensive without limit, conformist, and productive of a passive a
ttitude. (Exallievi di Don Bosco, May 1997)
Collaboration and Networking
"Our times call for action. The world has become materialistic, and so we have t
o go out of our way to make known the good we are doing. Even if we were to work
miracles by praying day and night in solitude, the world would neither notice i
t nor believe it. The world has to see for itself." (DB, BM 13, 126)
Fragmentation, competition, and reactiveness are not problems to be solved. Rath
er, they are frozen patterns of thought to be dissolved. The new wave of change
is our ability to tap into the richest vein of wealth in our society. We must fa
shion structures that reflect our fundamental motivation to love- structures tha
t reflect our true intention to join. The power of partnership is the power to i

nnovate through collective thinking and action. (Gadman, Power Partnering, 1997)
The maturity continuum moves progressively from dependence to independence to in
terdependence. Interdependence is the paradigm of we-we can do it; we can cooper
ate; we can combine our talents and abilities and create something greater toget
her. (Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, 1989)
Unless educators and parents reconsider family involvement in formal education,
schools and schooling will continue to be an unsatisfactory experience for some,
perhaps most, of our students. The surest route to better schools lies through
involving parents in the learning activities of students. (Coleman, Parent, Stud
ent and Teacher Collaboration: The Power of Three, 1998)
Networks are people talking to each other, sharing ideas, information, and resou
rces. Networking is the process of communication that creates the linkages betwe
en people and clusters of people. Networks exist to foster self-help, to exchang
e information, to change society, to improve productivity and work life, and to
share resources. They are structured to transmit information in a way that is qu
icker, more high-touch, and more energy-efficient than any other process we know
. (Naisbitt, Megatrends, 1984)
Our communities and works are part of a much wider system of communication. It i
s indispensable to attend not only to what is realized within the work. We must
keep in mind the image it creates, the reflection our action produces outside th
e world. It is indispensable to think of our presence, the community and Salesia
n work in "network" form, intercommunicating like a transmitter. (ACTS 370)
There is a need for a change of mentality- a "cultural conversion." It is becaus
e we are not yet familiar with virtual space and because we have to learn new fo
rms of communication and meeting. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are part
of a great network which envelops us. We could remain outside it, or we could b
ecome inserted in it by offering, in this field too, the gifts we have as educat
ors and evangelizers. (ACTS 370)
The Salesian community is called upon to do its planning with an eye on its own
work as seen also from the outside. This means passing from concerns based on in
ternal considerations to giving attention to the sensitivities and expectations
coming from the context; from doing a great deal of hard work within our own wal
ls, to finding out what others think of us and how they perceive our activity an
d presence. (ACTS 370)
We must act in a certain sense to impress people and have selling power. To be e
fficacious we must be authentic and transparent; to be present we must be percep
tible. (ACTS 370)
Our niche in Philippine education is technical education. We educate young peopl
e to become industry benchmarks that orient technology to the service of man and
his integral development.
Tehnology with a Soul
Technology, which Alvin Toeffler calls that growling engine of change, has been roar
ing on through the whole of human history ever since man began to craft tools fr
om stones, woods and animal bones in order to survive a harsh environment.
From the very simple tools of the Stone Ageto the more complicated metals of the I
ron Age and the machines of the Industrial Ageto the excitingly complex computer t
echnology of our contemporary Digital Age ? man has unrelentingly used technolog
y to extend his capacities, imagination and creative powers, bringing him to unb
elievable heights of achievement and progress. Sadly, it has also brought him to
brinks of disaster and disgrace.
And since technology seems to be securely in our future, social philosophers, so
cial scientists, educators, churchmen and others concerned with the young genera
tion, are underscoring the critical need to examine technologys impact on humanity
and to learn to anticipate its consequences.

A. The DON BOSCO EDUCATIONAL APOSTOLATE

The youth make up Don Boscos mission field, particularly those at the fringes of s
ociety: the poor and abandoned, the troubled and the endangered.
We believe that God is awaiting us in the young to offer us the grace of meeting
with Him and to dispose us to serve Him in them, recognizing their dignity and
educating them to the fullness of life. (GC23, #95)
We must enable them to join the mainstream. We must lead them to God.
To promote the growth of the young to the fullness of life after the measure of
Christ the perfect man, is the goal of Salesian education. (GC23, #160)
Don Bosco educates the young through a pastoral style and a unique system in whi
ch Christian development is inseparably linked with human and social development
. His pedagogical method consists of evangelizing through education. (GC23, #196
)
The Valdocco experience exemplifies and synthesizes Don Boscos singular style of f
orming the young in all their dimensions.
The Oratory was everything the poor youth fundamentally needed to develop to the
ir highest human and Christian potentials:
a home providing the basic needs ? food, shelter, family, relationships
a school teaching the basic disciplines ? reading, writing, singing, acting
a shop teaching the trades ? carpentry, shoe-making, tailoring, printing
a church with the ubiquitous presence of the Lord, and where work and
every other activity were a prayer, where Gods love was palpable in the loving pre
sence of the Founder.
B. Why TECHNOLOGY?
Technology is a general term for the means and processes by which man fashions t
ools and machines to increase his understanding and control of the material envi
ronment. It has enabled man to modify his natural environment to the extent that
the world today is definitely not the same world that man inherited from nature
. And so is human life.
Technology impacts tremendously on man. It has revolutionized manufacturing, con
struction, communication, health care and medicine, transportation, agriculture,
energy and power, to say nothing of mans daily routine.
Technology is part of our Salesian history. Don Bosco prepared well his young pe
ople for the world of work. The Oratory skills-training is the forerunner of tod
ays Salesian technical and skills training programs where the young acquire releva
nt skills, develop the requisite discipline and responsibility, become self-reli
ant, and increase their employability and productivity.
Technology has significant implications for education.
Youth and technology have something in common: dynamism. Thats why they are such h
appy bedfellows.
In the encounter with technology, the young come face to face with the real, no
t the theoretical, lifeworld of culture, environment, social change and human su
rvival.
The encounter enables the young to understand that social and economic developme
nts are inextricably linked to individual development that poverty is an obstacle
to human development.
Technology is a constant spur to greater well-being and removes some restriction
s on freedom. But if a technological mentality be allowed to develop without due
thought, it will condition ways of thinking and every other approach to life. (

GC23, #19)
Because of technology's close link with progress and prosperity, material progre
ss is becoming the ultimate measure of success both for the individual and for n
ations. Material value threatens to become the primary value, over and above the
more important human and Christian values.
Accordingly, the meaning of life and happiness has been changing. There is growi
ng secularism in the world. This is most evident in many young people today.
Educational technology is making the traditional mode of learning passe. Hands-o
n technical education effectively engages the mind, imagination and creative pow
ers of the young.
Technology is an essential condition of national advancement. It separates the H
AVES and the HAVE NOTS. That is what the DIGITAL DIVIDE of Asia is all about. (ASIAW
EEK, June29, 2001)
Nations with advanced technology (like Singapore, Japan, Hongkong) enjoy economi
c prosperity, power, and the fruits of development like education, health and so
cial services, and high standard of living.
Nations lagging in technology (the Philippines is an excellent example) suffer f
rom poverty and the effects of underdevelopment: poor standard of living, unempl
oyment, exploitation, lack of access to education, poor health, high incidence o
f crime, poor public utilities, etc.
The Philippines, with its depressed and plundered economy, desperately needs a r
apid economic growth to alleviate widespread poverty and to improve social condi
tions.
The DOST pinpointed the low supply of skilled manpower in the country and the in
adequate knowledge of technology as a major hindrance to productivity. (PROMOTIO
N OF BROAD-BASED ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE PHILIPPINES, a NEDA/ UNDP Publication, 1
998, p. 64)
The NEDA, in its Report of 1998, recommended the upgrading of science and techno
logy education as a short-to-medium-term measure to raise the skill level of the
future labor force and to properly manage the use of existing technologies, as
well as to engage in the development of new ones. (PROMOTION OF BROAD-BASED ECON
OMIC GROWTH IN THE PHILIPPINES, a NEDA/ UNDP Publication, 1998, p. 66)
PGMA, in a keynote address at the EDUCATORS CONGRESS of 2001, said:
Technology, especially Information and Communication Technology, is what will crea
te the high-wage jobs of the future, and raise the quality of life of every Fili
pino.
Hence, our desired niche in Philippine education is technical education. We educ
ate young people to become industry benchmarks that orient technology to the ser
vice of man and his integral development. (A PRIMER on the Vision-Mission of Don
Bosco Schools and Training Centers, 18)
C. WHY TECHNOLOGY with a SOUL?
Man creates technology to serve his needs. In itself, it is neither good nor bad
. Man, creating and using technology, gives it life and invests it with value.
We regard it as morally neutral in the sense that it seems to await a human purp
ose to animate it with life. Someone or other is always at the helmand that pers
on or group of persons decides through some willful act the uses to which the to
ol is used. (Philosophy of Technology and Education: An Invitation to Inquiry, I
NTERNET)
A gun does not kill people. People kill people.
Man created the hammer to extend his powers, to give him added strength. How cou
ld he otherwise drive down the nail into the wooden planks using only his bare h
ands?

Note that man did not create the hammer to pummel his enemy to death.
Technology is both a creative and a destructive process. Technological innovatio
ns tend to change or transform life and culture, frequently with unexpected soci
al, cultural and religious consequences. (Philosophy of Technology and Education
, An Invitation to Inquiry, INTERNET)
Television is a wonderful communication and entertainment medium.
It is also widely blamed for the culture of violence and immorality in society.
Texting has created a new, exciting high in information technology. (EDSA 2 came
to life moments after Chief Justice Davide declared that the Nos have it! , tha
nks to text messages)
Pranksters have also derived some kind of dubious satisfaction from passing fals
e or malicious information. (Heard about the recent death of Pope John Paul II?)
Nuclear energy can supply the massive power needs of industry.
It has also been utilized as a weapon of mass destruction.
Human beings engaged in technology are a part of a moral community and they must
make moral choices in the face of astonishing change. We must accept responsibi
lity for our choices, recognizing good and evil. (Searching for Technologys Soul
, INTERNET)
Man must learn to use technology responsibly creating and using value added tech
nology
to respect and preserve life, not to destroy it;
to increase his dignity, not to diminish it;
to liberate him, not to enslave him;
to bring peace, not war;
to preserve nature and its laws, not to violate them;
to build, not to destroy, the Kingdom of God.
Bosconians are standard-bearers for technology with a soul.
Equipped with excellent technical skills and knowledge, good work ethic and Chri
stian values, they make competent contribution to the community's well-being. Th
ey insure that technological advances bring about genuine progress, solidarity,
and a greater commitment to the Kingdom.
Practicing technology with a soul as an act of faith, Bosconians secure their ow
n fulfillment and their salvation. Further, they become light for others! The ev
angelized become evangelizers.
Philosophy of Education
This refers to the belief system of our kind of education. It presents an explic
it understanding of the distinctive nature of Salesian education. There are many
ways in which Don Bosco schools resemble other kinds of Catholic education. But
this profile emphasizes the essential characteristics and basic options of Don
Bosco-Mandaluyong as a Salesian school. This is not because we want to be elitis
t, but to be leaven in society.
The principles of education numerated here correspond to the key elements of our
vision-mission.
Salesian education takes care of the image it creates and the reflection its wor
ks produce outside the world. To be present, it must be perceptible. It must act
in a certain sense to impress people and to have selling power (Acts of the Sal
esian General Council, 370).

Salesian education is realized by the Educative-Pastoral Community (EPC) in a fa

mily atmosphere (Salesian General Chapter 24, 39). All the members of the EPC, w
hether they are involved in tasks of education and human development, or more ex
plicitly in what concerns matters of faith, are educators of the young to the fa
ith (Salesian General Chapter 23, 111).
Salesian education believes that the youth is the preeminent context for the EPC
in which to meet God (SGC 23, 95). Young people, in addition to being those to
whom our work is directed, are active subjects and protagonists in the measure i
n which they grow in the sharing of our mission (SGC 24, 112).
Salesian education forms the youth as servant-leaders, creating an environment f
or them to be empowered and to be responsible for themselves and others (Salesia
n Educators' Congress 2000 Statement, 5.)
The niche of Salesian education in the Philippines is technical education. We ed
ucate young people to become industry benchmarks that orient technology to the s
ervice of man and his integral development (Primer to the Vision-Mission, 8.9).
The first concern of Salesian education is for young people who are poor. Their
poverty may appear in many forms: poverty of living conditions, of significance,
of perspective, of possibilities, of awareness, of resources (SGC 23, 120).
Salesian education reveals progressively to the youth a distinct way of perceivi
ng his faith and of choosing his values and gospel attitudes called the Salesian
youth spirituality. The main nuclei of this spirituality are the spirituality o
f ordinary daily life, of joy and optimism, of friendship with the Lord Jesus, o
f communion in the Church, and of responsible service (SGC 23, 160-180).
Salesian education sets young people on the road to commitment and participation
in public life (SGC 23, 192 & 214). Social and political commitment are not add
ed extras to Christian living. It is at the heart of our spiritual experience (S
alesian Youth Spirituality, 1998).
Salesian education offers the Preventive System, based entirely on reason, relig
ion and loving kindness, as its main original contribution to the cause of educa
tion (SGC 24, 99-100).
Professionalism is the greatest possible perfection in our own work (SGC 24, 98)
.
Study is for Don Bosco an indispensable part of our donation to the young, of ou
r concern to understand them and communicate to them faith, knowledge and the ex
perience of life. Loving-kindness is always combined with the ability to enlight
en, teach and guide (Acts 361).
Salesian education thinks of its presence, the community as well as the work, in
the 'network' form intercommunication like a transmitter. Salesian education is
familiar with virtual space and learns new forms of communicating and meeting (
Acts 370).