Elder Kearon Hosts Leadership Luncheon in the Philippines, Thanks Cebu Leaders for Supporting Filipino BYU–Pathway Students

Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expressed heartfelt appreciation to leaders from Cebu’s business, technology, government, and education sectors for their ongoing support of Filipino students enrolled in the BYU–Pathway Worldwide program, a Church-sponsored initiative that offers affordable, gospel-centered higher education.

At a leadership luncheon held on May 23, 2025, at the Kamputhaw Chapel located across from the BYU Pathway Worldwide Global Education Center (GEC) in Cebu, Elder Kearon expressed gratitude to the guests, students, and GEC personnel who warmly welcomed the visiting Church leaders, many of whom traveled from Church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Elder Kearon was joined by his wife, Jennifer; Elder Marcus B. Nash of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Shelley; Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé and his wife, Valérie; Elder Chi Hong Wong, First Counselor in the Philippines Area Presidency, and his wife, Carol; Jairus Perez, manager of the BYU–Pathway Worldwide GEC; and President Dan Nuñez, president of the Cebu Philippines Stake.

The luncheon also served as an opportunity for the Church to strengthen relationships with leaders across various industries who have supported the BYU–Pathway Worldwide GEC in Cebu. Their continued collaboration has helped create a space where learning and faith naturally come together in meaningful ways.

"We're very grateful to you and for you for building community, for leading in education and commerce,” said Elder Kearon. “We celebrate the fact that we're your brothers and sisters as children of God. And it feels that way when we meet.”

We want to make lifelong education accessible to as many people as we can. We have a vision that we can take these around the world, that we want to learn here in Cebu, and we're sure there'll be others in the Philippines before long,” he added.

Courtesy Visit to TESDA

A day before the leadership luncheon in Cebu, Elder Patrick Kearon paid a courtesy visit to Lorenzo Emanuel L. Guillermo, Executive Director of TESDA’s Community-Based Technical Vocational Education and Training Office (CBTVETO). Guillermo was representing TESDA Director General Jose Francisco "Kiko" Benitez, who was abroad on official business at the time. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is the national agency overseeing technical and vocational education and skills training in the Philippines.

Elder Kearon, accompanied by Sister Jennifer Kearon and Elder Carlos G. Revillo Jr., Philippines Area President, was warmly received by Executive Director Guillermo.

During the meeting, Elder Kearon and Elder Revillo reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to open dialogue and collaboration with TESDA. They also expressed optimism about strengthening existing programs and exploring the possibility of establishing additional GECs in other parts of the Philippines.

Both TESDA’s national and regional offices had played a key role in supporting the establishment of the BYU–Pathway Worldwide Global Education Center in Cebu.

Empowering Students Through the BYU Pathway Worldwide GEC in Cebu

Since its inauguration in February 2025, the Cebu GEC has supported more than 300 local students enrolled in courses through the BYU–Pathway Worldwide program. The center offers opportunities for growth through an accessible, quality, affordable, and flexible curriculum that empowers students to balance their educational pursuits with responsibilities to their families, the Church, and the community.

BYU–Pathway Worldwide is an online education program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that provides affordable, faith-based college and associate degrees and certificates to students across the globe.

In 2024, more than 70,000 students in over 180 countries, including nearly 5,000 in the Philippines, enrolled in courses focused on core subjects and marketable skills designed to help them qualify for in-demand jobs in their local economies.

Earlier this year, BYU–Pathway Worldwide opened its Global Education Center (GEC) in Cebu, the first in the Philippines and one of only four in the world. These centers serve as gathering places where students receive hands-on training, access career preparation resources, practice interviews, use remote workstations, and participate in English classes and collaborative study groups — all free of charge.

The GEC, housed within the Lahug meetinghouse in the Cebu Philippines Temple Complex, is equipped with nearly 100 computers, high-speed internet, and industry-grade technical equipment, providing students with essential tools for academic and professional success.