MANILA: 28th December '04 -- More or less simultaneously Rome and Manila have announced today the appointment of Fr Andrew Wong as the new provincial to replace Fr Francis Gustilo whose term is drawing to a close.

    Fr Wong, 52 years of age, is Filipino born, in fact from the Archdiocese of Manila, where he followed through with each stage of his Salesian formation.  In 1991 he took on the role of Director of Novices for the Southern Philippines Province, and from there (in 1994) went to Jakarta, Indonesia, as Rector of the postnovitiate.  After a year at that task he was again invited to take up the role of Director of Novices, this time at Fatumaca, East Timor.

    In 1998 Fr Wong was appointed Provincial of the Vice Province of ITM, the first Superior of the newly formed vice province.  By this time he was fluent not only in Tagalog and English but also in Tetum and Bahasa Indonesia, with a fair grasp of Italian to boot.

    This year, 2004, Fr Wong had agreed to take up his position of Director of Novices, once again at Fatumaca.  ITM by now has two novitiates, the other one being located in Indonesia.

    ITM will miss what has become a familiar and fatherly presence.  FIN will welcome home a son whom they no doubt considered simply 'on loan' for a decade.