Filipina named one of the three representatives for global charismatic renewal body

A Filipina, one of the three representatives for Asia and Oceania, has been elected to the 18-member council of CHARIS (Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service) International.

Fe Mantuhac-Barino, who hails from Cebu, the Philippines, attended two events for CHARIS.

More than 200 people from 70 different countries attended the first CHARIS General Assembly in Rome, which elected an 18-member council and moderator for CHARIS International. The event took place from October 29 to 31.

The second event was at Paul VI Hall from November 2–4, with the topic "Called, Transformed, and Sent". About 4,000 people from various nations attended the Worldwide Catholic Charismatic Gathering. Pope Francis' audience on November 4 served as the event's high point.

On December 8, the Holy See established CHARIS and granted it public juridic personality through the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life.

“This is a call. God puts me where He wants me to be,” Mantuhac-Barino said. “Like Mary, I wish to say, ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done to me according to His will.’”

The appointment is for a four-year term.

Shayne Bennett and Cyril John have been elected as members of the International Service of Communion, representing Asia and Oceania.

“This is my first international position,” Mantuhac-Barino said.

She became the CHARIS Philippines National Coordinator in 2019.

During the recently concluded National Retreat for Priests (Nov. 7-9, 2023), which more than 2,000 priests in Cebu attended, she served as the overall chairman of the working committee on behalf of CHARIS PHIL and the Archdiocese of Cebu.

Mantuhac-Barino was born on December 7, 1957. At the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, Philippines, she earned her Bachelor of Commerce and became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Businessman Rafaelito Barino (husband) and Mantuhac-Barino started the Duros Group of Companies together. Mantuhac-Barino is now the president of the company.

Her desire to help others led her to fly beyond the walls of the company.

Mantuhac-Barino trained at the Asian Metropolitan University in Malaysia and is now an International Certified Addiction Recovery Specialist (ICARS). “Surrender to God Foundation, Inc.” is the name of the faith-based drug rehab and renewal program she started.

The Love of God Community is a Catholic Charismatic Community that she started. For 13 years, she was the head of the Archdiocese of Cebu Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (ACCCRS).

Mantuhac-Barino has overseen the Archdiocese of Cebu's Commission on the Laity since 2018. She is also a trustee of the National Council of the Laity and has overseen the Philippine CHARIS National Service of Communion since 2021.

The Pope made her a Dame of the Order of St. Sylvester in 2022.

She is also a Dame of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and has been a Philippine officer since 2019.

Mantuhac-Barino has also won awards from her peers and the business world, such as the Most Inspiring Woman Entrepreneur award from the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

She won the Most Outstanding Alumni Award from Don Andres Soriano National High School and the Hometown Hero Award for 2020 from the well-known Benito and Catalina Yap Foundation for her work in supporting drug recovery.