It all started with a school project. Bengie and Pebbles Puyat are the owners of Thousand Oaks Packaging Corporation (TOPC), a company that manufactures corrugated carton boxes and other allied paper products. They supply their products to automotive, electronics, semiconductors, medical and food businesses. Bengie and Pebbles both studied at Don Bosco School of Theology. During their studies, they were supported by their professors to come up with formation programs in their workplace. While some of their classmates go out to other places to apply what they learned in school, this couple believed that God gave them TOPC as their mission field. It all started in 2013 when the CBCP announced a 9-year program in preparation for the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. Each year has a theme and they aligned their formation programs according to the theme set by the church for each year. Like in 2013, it was the Year of Faith. For that year, they had an in-depth discussion of the 12 articles of faith of the Apostle’s creed. They reviewed one article each month and these were discussed in layman’s term to all employees. That year marked also the start of their spiritual recollection that was given annually by the late Fr Michael La Guardia, SDB.
2014 is the Year of the Laity. That year they started their Bible and Life Sharing where they read the gospel for the coming Sunday and give a short reflection about it. This has nurtured the value of reading the bible throughout the whole company and it gave the leaders information of what the employees are going through. They also believed in a holistic kind of education for them. During their home visits, they found out the true condition of their employees and they were able to assess the family’s condition and needs. They found out that most of them were living in debt. The next thing the couple did was to teach them how to handle their finances, be debt-free and be free from their vices. They gave them a 4-day seminar to enhance the financial literacy of their employees. As part of the project paper of Pebbles, through the help of the late Fr Vic Cervania, SDB, was the ‘Kasalang TOPC’ where the company facilitated the marriage in the church of employees who were single or those living together without the blessings of the Catholic Church. They were 12 couples who were married and all expenses were paid for by TOPC.
In 2015, the Year of the Poor, TOPC entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with San Dionisio Credit Cooperative to teach the employees to be wiser in spending and how to save for the future. Another project they did was “Adopt a Poor Family” program where they encouraged their employees to share their blessings and adopt a family that is living below the poverty lines in the barangay where TOPC is located. The employees were divided into 4 groups and were given the liberty as to what activities they will give their adopted families. They treated the children to meals and outings and each employee contributed to give the adopted family a start-up business for their livelihood. That year they also had an outreach program where they went to Bahay ni Maria and visited the poor, abandoned, and neglected old women in Calamba and gave food and maintenance medicines.
In 2016, the Year of the Eucharist and the family, they had their second ‘Kasalang TOPC’ where there were seven couples who participated. Next is a 5-session seminar explaining what the eucharist is all about for the employees to have a better appreciation of the mass. Another activity they sponsored is a livelihood seminar for spouses and children of their employees. Seminars included soap making, candle making, meat processing, pastry making, reflexology, small-scale tilapia farming, make-up, and hair styling.
2017 was the Year of the Parish as a communion of communities. TOPC and its employees pitch in and contributed to the victims of the Marawi siege. This was also the year they started a 5-minute bible reading where they read the gospel before the start of work. This aims to start the habit of reading the bible daily. They also had their Fiesta of Festivals where they aim to create an awareness of the socio-cultural activities to instill nationalism and values education.
For 2018, Year of the Clergy and the Religious. They bought 15 repossessed units from Jestra Villas in Paranaque City and paid the equity and other documentation fees and initially financed the cost of repairs of the units.
For 2019, Year of the Youth, they gave a summer program for the children of their employees ages 14 and up, to educate them about the value of work and money and to teach them to save for the future. They are given menial work to help them get a feel of how it is to earn instead of them doing nothing during summertime. At the end of the summer, they are able to buy their own school supplies or uniform or even their allowance for school. This summer program culminates with a one-day recollection. They also had marriage renewal for those who took part in Kasalang TOPC. This year, Pebbles also formed KKK (Kape at Kwentuhan ng mga Kababaihan) where the women in TOPC meet monthly to be given values formation and are given the chance to talk about anything to help them cope with the stress in their work or family.
2020 is the Year of Ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue. KKK (Kapehan. Kuwentuhan. Kababaihan) celebrated its first year and they also started the Talaan ng Patotoo where the members are exhorted to post their blessings online like a Gratitude journal. In 2021 in the middle of the quarantine, they came up with Thousand Oaks Pantawid Community quarantine where they assisted their employees in different ways like advancing half of their 13th month pay, converting to cash the unused VL and SL, and giving food allowances to the families.
Don Bosco School of Theology is very proud to have accompanied these graduates in their journey of faith. True to its tagline “We accompany. We Grow”, they themselves are instruments of growth to their employees and staff, who in turn is paying it forward to their own families. This ripple effect confirms what DBST wishes to accomplish as the leading Center of Evangelization in Asia.
