The second territory covered by MQHM is a combination of five islands in the Western and Central area known as the Visayas. Though diverse in their cultures and terrain, our Sisters adapt and travel deep into the cities and rural areas. The 2024 initiatives continue in midland Philippines as we bring rescue services, education programs, awareness and vocation campaigns to many, many areas.
CEBU Island
Cebu is home to the Mary Queen of Heaven Mother House in Talisay City, the Home of Love Rehabilitation and Livelihood Center in Tuburan, and My Bonita Home for Girls in Talamban, overseen by Sister Bridget and Sister Clare respectively.
Central to our operations in the Philippines, Cebu serves as our 'healing' island, where many individuals have found refuge and safety. A fair number of residents of our Home of Love have graduated from colleges and universities, pursuing careers as nurses, social workers, engineers, and business executives. Others have received training for life-sustaining jobs in fields such as sewing, cooking, catering, marketing, and administrative assistance. This journey has not only initiated their healing but also inspired them to lead fulfilling and happy lives. Our Home of Love mission is to support young mothers and single residents who are seeking strength and assistance as they work toward personal healing and empowerment.
Home of Love happily welcomes a new group of residents
Sewing is a popular life skill and trade taught in our Home of Love
Making a decision to enter the Home of Love is courageous
We continue to reach out to bars and brothels, where we encounter numerous girls in desperate situations. Their stories are endless and heartbreaking. For instance, M.B. shared that she struggles to earn just 300 pesos per customer, which buys only a glass of coffee or one kilogram of fish. G.P. was trafficked into the system, managed to escape, and returned home only to be rejected by her family because of her work. As a result, she was compelled to go back to that life to survive. A.D. who is the breadwinner for five siblings, attempted to sell bottles of water to support them, but couldn’t earn enough. This led her to return to the brothel just to survive. We will continue to connect with these unfortunate girls, offering them alternative opportunities for a better life. However, many of them have dependents back in their barangays and villages, which keeps them trapped in this terrible existence.
Connecting with rosaries and listening ears to those caught in the web of trafficking
Counseling is key at My Bonita Home for Girls for those who have been abused
In 2024, graduates from My Bonita celebrated their successful completion of college courses, including one student who graduated cum laude and secured a job offer. My Bonita, our home for abused girls, continues to receive referrals for minors aged 11 to 17 who are victims of incest and sexual abuse, based on cases reported by local government units, government organizations, and non-governmental organizations throughout the Visayas. We currently house 75 residents under the age of 18, providing education, rehabilitation, love, and understanding.
Our Regina Coeli Educational Assistance Program operates in 47 municipalities throughout Cebu Province, covering 76 schools. This initiative is made possible through the support of Sisters, principals, teachers, and parents. Recently, five junior high school girls have shown a genuine interest in pursuing vocations after being inspired by our campaign. These remarkable children face immense challenges as they strive for an education.
One such student is Lavesh, an eighth-grade girl whose mother is ill and whose father is a scavenger. Their home is constructed from materials her father finds at dumping sites in the city of Talisay. Despite these difficult circumstances, Lavesh walks 30 minutes to school and back every day. She studies at night after completing her household chores and spends her weekends helping her father sort through garbage for usable and sellable items. Her studies are sometimes affected by a lack of proper food but she is determined to finish her education.
There are countless stories like Lavesh's, too many to share. However, through God's grace and the support of people around the world, we will continue our mission to save, to serve, and share our good fortune.
2024 saw the debut of our awareness campaign titled “Breaking the Chains: Empowering Youth Against Abuse and Human Trafficking” which was well received in so many schools across Cebu, as was our seminars about Seeking Vocations Jamboree with Mary Queen of Heaven Missionaries. The young generation of Filipinos holds so much potential and enthusiasm.
PANAY & tiny GUIMARAS Islands
Packaging and transporting thousands of school supplies through mountainous country is a labor of love in Sibalom, Panay Island
Sister Rovy conducts a Vocations Recruiting Campaign in Antique
Valderrama National High School welcomes Mary Queen of Heaven missionaries and mission partners
Panay is one of the larger islands in the Western Visayas, and it is served by MQHM across five provinces. The people of this island are quiet and charming, but so many struggle in everyday life. Sisters Rovy, Bridget, and Marilyn know this island well as they travel by any means possible, boat, cart, bus, canoe, footpaths, etc., to reach those needing assistance. Those forgotten. Those who are deserving. Antique province, known for its mountainous terrain, faces significant challenges in access to healthcare, education, and clean water. Under the crushing weight of poverty, many children grapple to survive, making them vulnerable to various adversities. However, in 2024, MQHM successfully registered 372 beneficiaries in the Regina Coeli Education Program in Antique alone. The provinces of Aklan, Guimaras, and Iloilo each have unique characteristics, including plains and river valleys, small fishing ports, scenic landscapes, and bustling cities. Despite their differences, they share common issues: many underdeveloped rural areas suffering from persistent poverty, inadequate communication and transportation services, and extremely severe weather in Panay and Guimaras in 2024. Mary Queen of Heaven Missionaries faced these challenges with determined hearts as supplies were delivered.
Landslides and widespread flooding from Tropical Storm Trami presented challenges in Guimaras Island Province, but supplies were delivered.
NEGROS Island
So young and so lost, just striving to survive
Negros Island is the fourth largest and one of the most populous islands in the Philippines. Sister Rose and Sister Lyra, & Sr. Pauline, along with mission employees Vivian Santillan and Juliet Rufin, are well-known missionaries representing MQHM on this island, which is known for its sugar plantations and beautiful beaches, but poverty in many areas is widespread. Currently, they are operating in the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, where they work closely with Bishop Patricio Buzon in the Diocese of Bacolod, as well as the local Department of Social Services and Development. The team has approached numerous brothels—up to 46 in one month—meeting with women and girls ages 13 to 18 years in Bacolod City. In Silay alone, they encounter 13 children trafficked by Nigerian nationals. They were told by local authorities not to approach any of the bars in Dumaguete as they have become far too dangerous. But where they can, they begin their quest to rescue those willing to escape by handing out rosaries and listening to the heartbreaking stories. In 2024, a typhoon struck Negros, which disrupted classes for students, however, we still managed to sign up 278 new beneficiaries in Negros Occidental. Each soul we help is considered a victory. Each rescue attempt is a step closer to touching a heart and bringing the peace and love of Jesus Christ to a lost spirit.
Bishop Patricio Buzon of Bacolod Diocese with Sister Clare
Beneficiaries of Regina Coeli Program Bago City and Pontevedra
Vivian Santillan, Sr. Clare, La Cariota Police official, Sr. Rose, Sr, Angelica and Melchora Fronteras
Sister Lyra speaking to parents about the importance of education and a faithful family
BOHOL Island
The beautiful island of Bohol is sandwiched between Cebu, Leyte, and Mindanao, but has an identity of its own. Known as the island of 'Chocolate Hills' due to the many mounds of brown dried grass from ancient times, it strikes quite a scene across the landscape. Our adventures in 2024 in the cities of Bohol were enlightening, sometimes disturbing, but always satisfying.
The challenges of reaching the island with school supplies, then the individual villages and barangays
Sister Clare and active Mission Partners Melchora and Isidore Fronteras know this island and its people well. Still, it isn't easy to describe the experience of meeting so many girls who work the streets of Tagbilaran and Talibon. Many have been sexually abused at home by step-fathers, uncles, and neighbors. Others are pulled into the trafficking trade out of desperation for a means to survive. This existence for the marginalized young people has become all too familiar. We spoke with many and managed to convince four girls to join our My Bonita Home for Young Girls, offering others the opportunity to come to our Home of Love in Cebu, where we can care for them and their children. At the same time, they heal and work towards a self-sufficient and happy life.
C. decided to enter our Home of Love, but B., who is pregnant by a neighbor, wants to escape, though her father will not allow it. S. has three sisters, and their father abuses all of them but refuses to leave Bohol and their grandmother behind. A young boy works as a pimp, soliciting men into the brothels to buy food, even though he would like to go to school. We received referrals from NGOs and local social services, and were able to intervene and guide some to our homes. Progress is being made for many we encounter as we continue to pray for all.
As we left the cities and traveled into the villages, bringing school supplies, we reached nearly two dozen schools and succeeded in signing up 1,382 students who entered middle or high school with supplies in hand for the 2025/26 school year. We faced severe weather conditions in 2024, but our supplies were eventually delivered to remote areas with the help of many local volunteers. Our crusade continues as we take the time to speak with local students about the dangers of trafficking, their susceptibility to it, and how much an education will block that direction. Our hearts are so encouraged by the students’ receptivity to our messaging, and we look forward to 2026.
