PMO personnel celebrated ahead of the Feast of Sto. Niño (scheduled every 3rd Sunday of January), during the usual Friday Mass on 17 January 2020 held at the GAD Hall of PMO MO/C Administrative Building 2.

The mass was presided by Fr. Mars Tan, SJ, Ph.D. of Xavier University—Ateneo de Cagayan (XU), who also blessed the religious images of the Sto. Niño brought by some PMO personnel later in the Eucharistic celebration.

After the final blessing, some PMO personnel danced to the beat of the Sinulog music, while holding the images of the Child Jesus. Everyone then partook in a fellowship lunch.

Fr. Mars is the incoming President of the XU starting the next school year. Apart from presiding masses in the PMO every other Fridays, he has been engaging with PMO MO/C for various environmental projects, as the Director of McKeough Marine Center of Xavier University—Ateneo de Cagayan (XUMMC). XUMMC spearheaded the Coral Resource Assessment and Marine Debris Audit (CoReMar), and the Mangrove Mapping Project, among other projects which the PMO MO/C actively took part in the forum and discussion of research results.

(READ: Coastal Research: Concerned agencies, LGUs, called for Public Discussion)

The XUMMC organized a Mangrove Planting activity scheduled on 24 January 2020 in Barangay Bonbon, Cagayan de Oro City, which will be participated by more than twenty (20) PMO personnel. — by IMR Lam