General Santos Philippines Stake

General Santos Philippines Stake
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Type	Stake
Address	Quezon Ave., Brgy. Dadiangas West, General Santos City, Philippines 9500
Map	map
Date Founded	6 Aug 1995
Country / State	The Philippines
President	President Renato V. Tampac
1st Counselor	President Michael Q. Garcia
2nd Counselor	President Philip Ian G. Torino
Temple District	Cebu City Philippines Temple

General Santos Philippines Stake is the 2048th Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is led by the President Renato V. Tampac, and his counselors, President Michael Q. Garcia and President Philip Ian G. Torino.

It has ten units, comprising of nine wards and a branch, to wit: General Santos 1st, General Santos 2nd, General Santos 3rd, General Santos 4th, General Santos 5th, General Santos 6th, Polomolok, Alabel and Tupi Wards. Glan is the only branch of the stake.

The southernmost stake in the Philippines, it geographically comprises the two southern towns of the province of South Cotabato (Polomolok and Tupi), the whole Sarangani Province, and the City of General Santos. The stake is bordered with a district and a stake.In the north and west border lies the Marbel Philippines District and in the east border lies the Digos Philippines Stake.

The northernmost units of the stake is Tupi Ward, General Santos 2nd Ward, and Alabel Ward. The southernmost unit is the Glan Branch. The easternmost units are Alabel Ward and Glan Branch, and the westernmost unit of the stake is the General Santos 6th Ward.

In terms of sizes, General Santos 6th Ward is the largest geographically while General Santos 1st is the smallest. In terms of number of members in wards, Polomolok is the largest ward. It has 542 total members. General Santos 3rd is the smallest ward with only 261 total members. Glan branch on the other hand has 202 total members. This data is collected as of August 2020.

Stake History

In a conference last August 6, 1995, Elder Ben B. Banks, then-area president of the Philippines-Micronesia Area, converted General Santos Philippines District into a stake. Accompanying Elder Banks was Philippines Davao Mission President Modesto Amistad. It is the 2084th stake of the Church of Jesus Christ.

President Fabian L. Sinamban was sustained as its first stake president. During the stake's creation, he was set apart with President Esteban C. Urian Jr. and President Reynaldo A. Agustin as his counselors.

During that time, the stake has five wards and two branches namely, General Santos 1st, General Santos 2nd, General Santos 3rd, General Santos 4th and Polomolok Wards. The Tupi and Glan were the branches of the stake back then.

It took twenty-five years for General Santos to create a stake. The General Santos Branch was created September 16, 1975 under the Davao Philippines District. It is expected that the stake will again be divided into two stakes this year or next year.

A Silver Jubilee Celebration was supposed to be done this month of August 2020. A series of activities such as Cantata, an openhouse of the stake, and a lot more have been planned by the Public Affairs of the stake. However, due to the health crisis, all activities are canceled.

Nevertheless, the stake leaders continued to counsel members of the church to be of "one heart and one mind." As they continue to build zion in their homes and in their communities.

Stake Leadership

The Current General Santos Stake Presidency (from R-L, President Philip Ian G. Torino, President Renato V. Tampac, President Michael Q. Garcia)

General Santos Stake has three stake presidents in the past twenty-five years. Namely, President Fabian L. Sinamban, President Danilo B. Pandes, and the current stake president, President Renato V. Tampac.

General Santos is currently led by President Renato V. Tampac, and his counselors, President Michael Q. Garcia and President Philip Ian G. Torino.

The office of the High Council comprises twelve priesthood holders. They helped the stake presidency in administering the welfare of the General Santos Stake of the Church.

Since 1995, here is the list of the members of the stake presidency:

1. President Fabian L. Sinamban (1995-2004)
   • First Counselor: President Esteban C. Urian (1995-2001)
   • First Counselor: President Benjamin L. Wong (2001-2003)
   • First Counselor: President Danilo B. Pandes (2003-2004)
   • Second Counselor: President Reynaldo A. Agustin (1995-2000)
   • Second Counselor: President Benjamin L. Wong (2000-2001)
   • Second Counselor: President Cesario T. Garcia (2003-2004)
2. President Danilo B. Pandes (2004-2013)
   • First Counselor: President Cesario T. Garcia (2004-2013)
   • Second Counselor: President Woodbrey L. Sinamban (2001-2003)
   • Second Counselor: President Renato V. Tampac (2009-2013)
3. President Renato V. Tampac (2013-Present)
   • First Counselor: President Michael Q. Garcia (2013-Present)
   • Second Counselor: President Philip Ian G. Sinamban (2013-Present)

Meetinghouses

General Santos Stake Center in August 2020

Meetinghouses are sacred structure built by the Church of Jesus Christ. Here, members and friends worship Jesus Christ by partaking of the Sacrament, and th

General Santos Philippines Stake is blessed to have seven (7) meetinghouses. There are three (3) meetinghouses that are found in the city alone. Four (4) meetinghouses were scattered outside the city. Here are the photos of each meetinghouses:

• General Santos Philippines Stake Center

- Quezon Ave., Brgy. Dadiangas West, Gen. Santos City 9500

The Stake Center of General Santos. Informally called as Magsaysay Chapel. It houses the General Santos 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wards. The stake center also houses the General Santos Philippines Institute of Religion.It is located in the heart of the city at Quezon Ave., Dadiangas West, General Santos City 9500

• Royeca Chapel

- Fernandez St., Brgy. Lagao, Gen. Santos City 9500

The first meetinghouse built in General Santos City. It houses the General Santos 2nd, and 4th Wards.

• Polomolok

- Fernandez St., Brgy. Lagao, Gen. Santos City 9500

Philippines Home Centered Church Opportunities

We teach that true religion begins in the home: "Home Centered / Church Supported". To that end families may consider the following local resources and programs to strengthen your core beliefs and values:

1. Come Follow Me: - Daily & Weekly family gospel study
2. Vanguard Scouting: - Featuring age-appropriate Family Activities, Service, Crafts, Field Trips, & Outdoor Adventures. The Benefits of Scouting are many, and there are lots of personal growth ideas to help your family pursue the new Churchwide Children & Youth Program.
3. LIFE School Curriculum: an LDS gospel based homeschool program that is built on the foundation of the scriptures, giving the child a sense of who he is and setting him on the path of discovering his divine mission. It is presented in a four year chronological rotation, integrating all areas of study to create a clear picture of the history of our world.
4. Family History: Resources to help you explore your family tree

• • Mormon Pioneers - 200+ stories of early faithful Latter-day Saint pioneers.
  • Familypedia - Come help build The Philippines largest Family History online Encyclopedia.

5. Local Recreation:

• • Philippines Scouting - Outdoor Trails, camping, museums and other family attractions.
  • Pioneer Treks

Cebu City Philippines Temple

The Cebu City Philippines Temple is the second temple built in the Philippines, following the Manila Philippines Temple (1984).

See Also

• Philippines List of Stakes of the Church