San Pedro Cathedral Parish Joins Archdiocesan SOCCOM Convention 2026

DAVAO CITY - In an age where Artificial Intelligence can replicate a face and clone a voice, hundreds of Catholic communicators from across the Archdiocese of Davao gathered to affirm one essential truth: technology can support the mission, but it can never replace the human heart.

The San Pedro Cathedral Parish - Davao joined the Archdiocesan SoCCom Convention held at St. Francis Xavier Regional Major Seminary of Mindanao (REMASE) on October 17, 2026.

Most Rev. Archbishop Romulo G. Valles, D.D., presided over the Holy Mass. In his homily, he emphasized that social communicators must not only communicate a message but also best re-echo the Good News.

The convention opened with the Parade of Parishes. In his opening remarks, Rev. Fr. Ritsche Gamaya, Director of the Davao Verbum Dei Media Foundation, Inc., highlighted that the SoCCom ministry goes beyond videos, broadcasts, and posts to bring the face of God to communities.

In his special message, Most Rev. Rex Andrew Alarcon, D.D., Chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Social Communications and Archbishop of Caceres, emphasized that Christian communication centers on being present, listening, and encountering the people being served.

Rev. Fr. Roldan B. Baliano delivered his plenary talk on "The Church and Human-Centered Communication in the Information Age." This was followed by Conversations in the Spirit, facilitated by the Davao Seminarians, which deepened the participants' understanding of the talk and fostered connection among vicariates.

The afternoon's highlight was the three breakout learning sessions.

For Learning Session A on Digital Evangelization, Storytelling, News Writing, and Truthful Reporting, the participants learned that Catholic communicators must bear truth. In an age of fake news and machine-generated content, they learned to verify their news, root their stories in real human experience, and write transformational, not just informative, content.

In Learning Session B on Social Media Management and Follower Engagement, they learned that social media is not simply a bulletin board; it is a community. The session equipped them to manage parish pages responsibly, create content that connects with the youth, handle comments with compassion, and turn followers into family.

In Learning Session C on Ethical Use of AI Tools in Ministry and Content Creation for Youth and BEC Evangelization, participants explored how AI tools can help them efficiently create posters, videos, and BEC reflections. They received a strong notice that AI should assist, not deceive, and that human discernment, truth, and the face of Christ must remain at the center.

After the learning sessions, the SPC SoCCom delegates took their pledge together with the Archdiocese of Davao SOCCOM.

The SPC delegates expressed their gratitude to San Pedro Cathedral Parish, especially to our Priest Director Rev. Fr. Junel E. Bustamante and Rev. Msgr. Paul A. Cuison our Rector, for making their participation possible.

Delegates share their experiences,what they learned in the sessions; how to post better, and they leave remembering why they post at all - to preserve the human voice that speaks with truth and the human face that looks with the love of Christ.