Banilad Center for Professional Development is a project of The Foundation for Professional Training, Inc. (FPTI). FPTI was established with a vision “women committed to service and holistic human development becoming agents of social transformation at all levels of society”. Registered in 1982 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, FPTI is accredited as a donee institution by the Philippine Council for NGO Certification since 2001.
Envisioning a brighter future for our Filipino women committed to service and human development
Preparing young women for employment or entrepreneurship and higher educational attainment through academic-technical skills training and work ethics imbued with Christian values
SPIRITUAL FORMATION
All activities of the school are in perfect accord with fundamental Christian principles, with due respect given to the freedom of individual consciences. The school promotes among parents, teachers, staff and students a loyal adherence to the doctrine of Christian faith and morals and a deep respect towards the Church hierarchy.
The spiritual and doctrinal formation imparted at BCPD is entrusted to Opus Dei, a Personal Prelature of the Catholic Church.
SCHOOL-HOME COLLABORATION
The role of the family is given due importance for the holistic formation of the students. Thus, regular meetings with parents/guardians are conducted. Formative activities are also organized for them. Attendance to these activities is required. To further strengthen the ties between the school and the parents, the Management Staff does home visits.
LIFE COACHING/MENTORING PROGRAM
The Life Coaching/Mentoring Program is part of the personalized approach of FPTI's educational system, which differentiates FPTI schools from other technical-vocational institutions. It is a venue where various concerns that impact students' life are discussed with the purpose of helping the students, whether they are in school, at home or in the workplace to learn and practice those virtues or habits consistent with the FPTI vision-mission.
It aims to achieve women empowerment through the integration of the following CORE VALUES in the formation of the students both in the professional/academic and personal aspects:
* Moral Integrity and Sense of Responsibility
* Excellence and Professional Competence
* Love for Work and Dignity of Service
* Professionalism and Love for the Home
* Passion for Continuing Education
"Poverty could be lifted not through short-term solutions but through a deep work of education.”
- Bishop Alvaro del Portillo
The Banilad Center for Professional Development (BCPD) is a concrete response to the call to cut poverty at its roots here in Cebu. Directed towards young women who are financially challenged to pursue higher education, BCPD has committed itself to forming young women professionals to create a niche for themselves in the hospitality service industry.
Creating opportunities for a brighter future through commitment to the highest standards of excellence at work and formation in human values, BCPD has risen to the challenge borne out of want of social improvement – to pursue its mission to form a new breed of young women who will reinvent the different ways by which professionals respond to the needs of the service industry.
It was in January 1987 when the Prelate of Opus Dei, Msgr. Álvaro del Portillo (who was beatified September 27, 2014 in Spain) came to the Philippines for a Pastoral trip. He saw the plight of the poor people especially the children, living in shanties under cramped conditions in some areas of Cebu City.
In a get-together with more than a thousand guests at the Cebu Plaza Hotel (now Marco Polo Plaza Hotel), he encouraged all to initiate projects aimed at alleviating poverty and helping the less-privileged to have a more humane and dignified life.
Banilad Center for Professional Development (BCPD) is a vocational technical school, established in October 1992 that offers one and two-year courses in Hotel and Restaurant Services (HRS) under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
BCPD’s program is holistic, that is, it develops the student’s human-cultural, academic, skill, and ethical potencies. It has institutionalized a mentoring program for the personal formation of the students. Female high school graduates with meager financial means take the entrance examination, are interviewed with the parent and visited in their homes to qualify for the scholarship program. This is the meaning of gender sensitivity today: to capacitate women with productive skills to take a more active role in society and live with dignity.
Since 1997, BCPD adopted the dualized training program (DTP) modality, which means two venues for training; the school and the industry. Hence, the three to six months industry immersion was institutionalized.
In 2005, BCPD revised its curriculum adopting the competency-based curriculum and training (CBCT) in accordance to the new policy orientation of TESDA. This curriculum innovation was supported by Reledev Australia Limited, in collaboration with the Australian government (AusAID). This assistance allowed the school to expand enrollment to full capacity, develop the courseware materials, and upgrade the facilities, particularly, the kitchen laboratory.
Inspired by Blessed Álvaro’s words, the construction of a vocational school for women started in 1989. His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal inaugurated the building in 1991.
BCPD has been an active member of the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC) that has kept its curriculum and training responsive to industry standards and market trends.
In 2007, BCPD was granted by TESDA the UTPRAS registration for six (6) Level II Qualifications; namely: Commercial Cooking (CC), Housekeeping (H), Food and Beverage Services (FBS), Baking and Pastry Production (BPP), Front Office Services (FOS) and Bartending (B); offered as bundles of competencies in the three courses: Hotel and Restaurant Services (HRS) I & II and In-Residence Training Program (IRTP).
In 2008, the Department of Tourism (DOT) through Secretary Ace Durano assisted BCPD to build an annex to accommodate more students needed in the hotel, restaurant and tourism industry. Moreover, BCPD was registered as a Training Center under the Department of Tourism (DOT) to offer short courses to upgrade competencies of stakeholders in the tourism industry in accord with globally-competitive standards.
BCPD held an Appreciation Event to recognize all the donors foreign and local who assisted in the expansion and improvement of its facilities and supported the scholarship program that expanded enrollment.
These ladies have been behind the success of the school all these years. They raise funds and find means for the scholarships of the students and for the many projects of BCPD right from the start.
Serving BCPD through the BCPD Patrons Association for many years has been most fulfilling and gratifying for the women behind the Association. They come from different private sectors of our Cebu community, volunteering time, energy and resources to raise funds for student scholarships as well as help fund important projects of the school. To raise funds, the Association hosts an annual major event called “Christmas in September” where Chefs from big restaurants and hotels are invited to share their best recipes and cooking techniques. The recipes come in time for the Christmas celebration and many mothers and daughters use these for the family Noche Buena and/or Christmas day celebration. Christmas in September has been running for 23 years now, and over the years, participants look forward to the excitement of new recipes with actual cooking demonstrations and food tasting during the event.
Christmas in September promotes the value of family gatherings at home. It also keeps alive the tradition of home-cooked food especially during feast days and important celebrations. It is said, the best way to a loved one’s heart is through the stomach. Certainly, Christmas in September paves the way to the family’s heart.
- Cathy Cheung, BCPD Patrons Association
Joining competitions fosters a healthy team and deepens school loyalty. It is a chance to showcase talent and check how we fare compared to industry standards. Competitions give life and add spice to the busy academic life in school. Our awards signify the talent and skill of our students.
“YOUR WORLD IN OUR HEART” - 3RD PRIZE
“THE HEART OF CEBU IN YOUR HOME” - GRAND CHAMPION
CHEF WARS: CLASSICAL FILIPINO -DIPLOMA
DREAM TEAM CHALLENGE -BRONZE
HEALTH & WELLNESS - SILVER
DRESS THE CAKE -BRONZE
CREATIVE CAKES - BRONZE
CLASSICAL CEBU TORTA WARS -DIPLOMA
CHOCOLATE CHAMBERS -BRONZE
TABLE SETTING - SILVER
COCKTAIL MIXING - BRONZE
SUPREME FRIED RICE - SILVER
CHEF WARS - BRONZE
"NANAM" A FEAST OF NEGRENSE FLAVORS - BRONZE
THE DREAM TEAM CHALLENGE: MIDDLE EASTERN COOKING - GOLD
CHEF WARS: PROVINCIAL FILIPINO -SILVER
HEALTH & WELLNESS: SOUP AND SALAD - SILVER
DRESS THE CAKE: FAIRY TALE - BRONZE
TABLEA CHALLENGE: ANYTHING TABLEA - Participant
THE DREAM TEAM CHALLENGE: VIVA ESPANA! FLAVORS OF SPAIN - GOLD
CHEF WARS: CLASSICAL KULINARYA - SILVER
TABLE SETTING SHOWCASE: BEACH WEDDING - SILVER
HEALTH & WELLNESS: COOKING WITH HERBS - BRONZE
BUCO CHEF CHALLENGE - BRONZE
DRESS THE CAKE: HALLOWEEN - BRONZE
3-TIER WEDDING CAKE - GOLD
TABLE SETTING SHOWCASE - SILVER
DRESS THE CAKE: FOUR SEASONS - SILVER
SPA CUISINE: HEALTH & WELLNESS - BRONZE
COCKTAIL MIXING - BRONZE
MARKET BASKET CLASSIS - DIPLOMA
CREATIVE CAKES - DIPLOMA
THE DREAM CHALLENGE: FRENCH BISTRO DINING - Participant
REGIONAL SKILLS COMPETITION, RESTAURANT SERVICE (STUDENT CATEGORY) - Winner
ON-THE-SPOT CAKE DECORATING (GRADUATION) - GOLD
MARKET BASKET - BRONZE
WEDDING CAKE DISPLAY - BRONZE
ON-THE-SPOT CAKE DECORATING (WEDDING) - BRONZE
MARKET BASKET - SILVER
HAM GARNISHING - SILVER
NAPKIN FOLDING - SILVER
RESTAURANT SERVICE (OPEN) - GOLD
RESTAURANT SERVICE (YOUTH) - 1ST PRIZE
FLORISTRY (OPEN) - 1ST PRIZE
ESTAURANT SERVICE (YOUTH AND OPEN CATEGORY) -GOLD
FLORISTRY - GOLD
COOKERY (OPEN) - 1ST PRIZE
COOKERY OVERALL - SILVER
Since 2002, BCPD has been participating in the Cebu Goes Culinary event held every 2 years and participated in by the different universities and culinary schools in the Visayas. BCPD is the only technical-vocational school which often participates in the event and emerges a winner.
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Sabor Bisaya is an inter-provincial culinary competition held in Bacolod last 2014 that the school competed in and won in all categories it participated in.
Incontro Romano is a nationwide competition that showcases the love for the work in the home. There is a theme per year and each participant interprets the theme according to its expertise.
BCPD won the grand prize in 2016 with the theme “The Power of Service: Home-Made Happiness.”
In 2017, the theme was, “Shaping a Welcoming World”. BCPD came out with fusion dishes that showed Cebuano and International influences in the cuisine. We won third place.
Situated between two government offices along a busy City Avenue, the school pathway has become a hallowed ground to have been trodden by luminaries who brought to us a bagful of bliss! Our visitors have undoubtedly made our School more spectrum–filled.
