About Ang Arko ng Pilipinas

Ang Arko ng Pilipinas, Inc. is a community in Cainta, Rizal where people with and without intellectual disabilities share daily life together. We are also known as L'Arche Philippines, and our community is called Punla. We have been here since 1988.

Who we are

"We are people with and without intellectual disabilities, sharing life in communities belonging to an international Federation. Mutual relationships and trust in God are at the heart of our journey together. We celebrate every person's unique value and recognize one another's needs."

— Our identity statement

In L'Arche, the people with intellectual disabilities who live in our homes are called core members. The people who live and work alongside them are called assistants. That vocabulary matters: it says that this is not a facility with staff and clients, but a home where people belong to one another.

Alongside our homes, we run workshops where core members make handmade goods, and we provide daycare services for children with developmental disabilities in the Cainta area.

Our mission

  • Make known the gift of people with intellectual disabilities, revealed through mutually transforming relationships.
  • Foster an environment in the community that responds to the changing needs of our members, while being faithful to the core values of our founding story.
  • Engage in diverse cultures, working together towards a more human society.

Where we came from

L'Arche began with Jean Vanier, who invited two men with intellectual disabilities to leave an institution and share a home with him as friends rather than as patients. That single household grew into an international federation of communities.

Ang Arko ng Pilipinas was established in 1988 in Cainta, Rizal, and is the Philippine member of the International Federation of L'Arche. In a country where many people with profound disabilities are still abandoned or hidden away, our work is to offer a home and a family life where they can grow intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.

"I believe that those we most often exclude from the normal life of society, people with disabilities, have profound lessons to teach us. When we do include them, they add richly to our lives and add immensely to our world."
— Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche

Our homes in Cainta

Biyaya House, a L'Arche Philippines community home in Cainta, Rizal

Our community is based at 116 Camia St., Bayanihan Village, Ortigas Ave. Extension, Brgy. San Isidro, Cainta, Rizal, and includes Biyaya House. We welcome visits by appointment — see our contact page to arrange one.

Safeguarding and accountability

Protecting the people at the heart of our community is part of how we work, not an afterthought. Our volunteers and board members take part in safeguarding training — most recently a workshop led by Fr. James Gascon, SJ in August 2025. We are also committed to transparency about money: annual reports and financial statements are available on request.

Get to know us better