PRESSING ON WITH ATE GILDA: A Legacy of Freedom and Faith

PRESO, Inc. joins the Cagayan de Oro Prison Ministry and our partners in deep mourning over the passing of Ms. Gilda Miel Pates on February 12, 2026.

Through her life and leadership in the Prison Ministry of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, Ate Gilda became a bridge of hope connecting hearts, ministries, and second chances. It was through her generous spirit and unwavering trust that PRESO, Inc. was able to partner with the CDO–Volunteers in Prison Service in 2022 to implement the Community Bail Bond Program in Cagayan de Oro. Because she believed in collaboration, many who once waited behind bars were given the opportunity to return home, earn a living and rebuild their lives.

For more than two decades, she walked faithfully in prison corridors many choose not to enter. She did not just advocate for reform. She embodied restorative justice. She saw dignity where others saw labels. She offered opportunity where others saw rejection. She reminded the weary to “stand and go back to the Lord.”

Her kindness had conviction. Her faith had action. Her love had courage.

Today, we grieve her loss but we also give thanks. Her influence remains deeply planted in CDO, in the lives of Persons Deprived of Liberty she accompanied, and in all of us at PRESO, Inc. who were blessed to work beside her.

Ate Gilda, you served “the least, the lost, and the last” with a heart that never grew tired.

We will keep pressing on.

Maayong paglakaw, dear Gilda. Your light continues to guide us toward freedom with dignity.