In an official announcement through its social media site, the Ormoc City Fire Station announced that it held a six-day “Call of Duty” program, a mental and spiritual outreach initiative aimed at supporting the well-being of its personnel.
Led by Acting City Fire Marshal FSINSP Vic Leonel L. Macasil and Deputy City Fire Marshal FINSP Jasper M. Opada, the program ran from Sept. 1 to Sept. 6, 2025.
The event was a collaboration with Life Coach Pastor Ricardo De Asis Jr., a church pastor of Ormoc Seventh-Day Adventists Church. Its goal was to promote a healthier work-life balance for all participants.
In a similar post on another official social media site, the Coast Guard District Eastern Visayas (CGDEV) also announced that it had completed a five-day Mental and Spiritual Health Awareness Lecture.
The event, led again by Pastor De Asis, took place at the CGDEV Conference Room in Ebony Street, Port Area, Ormoc City, Leyte, and concluded on Aug. 15, 2025.
The lecture aimed to address the unique stressors that CGDEV personnel encounter, as their duties often demand high levels of stress and involve life-risking situations.
This initiative showed the CGDEV’s commitment to the mental and spiritual well-being of its staff, recognizing these aspects as critical components of their resilience and dedication.
The lectures equipped attendees with valuable strategies for managing stress, nurturing inner peace, and maintaining a sense of purpose and moral grounding.
The collaboration with Pastor De Asis, a well-known advocate for discussing mental health from a spiritual perspective, is part of a broader effort to expand ministries into urban areas, including government agencies, uniformed services, corporate offices, and elite circles.
This outreach also aimed to provide public servants with the spiritual and emotional tools necessary to serve with integrity and clarity in their duties to God, country, and community.
Pastor De Asis’s presentations covered several important topics, including “Stress: The Silent Killer,” “Depression: The Happiness Stealer,” and “Anxiety: The Future Destroyer.”
He also discussed “Vitamins for the Soul and Bone” and the “Principle of Longevity.” These topics were designed to provide holistic support for the spiritual, mental, and emotional health of the audience, helping them manage personal challenges, family relationships, and the high-stress demands of their job.
“The light that we carry should continue to shine in every corner of the city, in every institution, and in every movement of the city. No walls, no boundary, no limits. The light must shine. In everything the light must shine,” De Asis stated, reminding everyone that there are works in the city that need willing and faithful laborers.
He divided the topics into different sessions, organized by seasons. Each session was attended by groups from various government units, including the BFFP, CGDEV, the 802nd Infantry Brigade under the 81st Division of the Philippine Army, the Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police, and many others. The groups rotated until all personnel had the opportunity to attend.
“What humbles me the most is realizing that when I get the participants’ decisions during my sessions, many of them signed up for continued Bible study and home visitations. I never introduce religion in my sessions, but in every topic I discuss, I convey the message of God,” De Asis shared.
De Asis expressed gratitude to the Adventist World Radio Network for their collaboration. The support offered significant contribution, as the elite field is vast, with only a small portion explored.
He reechoed what the Bible stated in Matthew 9: 37 that “The harvest is ripe, but the laborers are few.”
In addition to the mental health emphasis programs, De Asis also engaged the elites in other ways, such as organizing fun runs. These runs highlighted the Adventist advocacy for maintaining healthy habits and lifestyles.
“We must learn to speak their language, understand their cultures, and know their beliefs. Without mastering these methods that Christ Himself taught us, we cannot reach their hearts. We should not create our own ways and strategies; Christ’s method alone is the most effective.”