About Us

Dr. Gabriel S. Dy-Liacco, drawing from his involvement as a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM), was inspired to develop safeguarding initiatives that touches both hearts and minds, to spark a genuine personal conversion and nurture a more profound personal relationship with God.

CSI then began in 2017 with three people – Dr. Gabriel S. Dy-Liacco, Msgr. Ramon M. Masculino Jr., and Dr. Maria Carmen Bontoc-La Viña, working in partnership with the Emmaus Center for Psycho-Spiritual Formation and Accompaniment.

The team of three were initially called to create and develop modules and workshops to help instruct the Church and clergy on safeguarding matters, as instructed by the Pope.

When developing modules, they identified that providing tools, resources, and knowledge alone was not enough to call people to the mission of safeguarding. That a deeper conversion was necessary to evoke the desire and motivation needed to create a conscious cultural shift within the safeguarding landscape in the Philippines and the Asia Pacific.

This influenced and led the offering of the Basic Orientation Workshop on Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults (BOWS) programme, which was first trialed in December 2017. The programme sought to go beyond the instruction and education of participants, it also prompts more internal spiritual reflection and leads participants to consider what God is calling each of them to do personally in the mission of safeguarding. To help achieve this, BOWS adopts an experiential learning approach using direct experience, focused reflection, familiar language, and expressive arts to help spiritually guide participants during the workshops. The 2017 trial workshop was well received and sparked further interest as CSI received their first client. In May 2018, CSI delivered their first official BOWS sessions in Mindanao and has since continued to deliver this programme across the Philippines and Asia Pacific.

As CSI continued to grow and its purpose became clearer and more refined, it became an independent Institute officially registered as a non-stock, non-profit incorporation in December 2020.

Today the CSI team operates in three locations, Manila, Iloilo, and Rome (remotely). Since the first BOWS in 2017, they have delivered the program to almost 2,000 participants, they have developed partnerships with 8 organizations and congregations and expanded their clientele, offering workshops to lay people and teachers as well as clergy.

From three individuals answering this specific call, CSI has grown into a wider team and community with international support and network. What was once a vision is slowly becoming a reality through the efforts, dedication, faith, and prayers of the CSI community. CSI continues to grow and evolve to meet the ever-changing climate and needs of Safeguarding, as we all undergo a continuous, profound conversion to bring about a world and society that upholds Gospel values.