The prelate tells AsiaNews he is deeply touched by Benedict XVI's decision to donate offerings from the In Cœna Domini mass to rebuilding houses wiped out in last February's landslides.

Maasin (AsiaNews) – Mgr Precioso D. Cantillas, bishop of Maasin, told asiaNews that he was "moved and touched" by the fact that the Pope "continues to worry about the situation in my diocese" which was struck by landslides in February. Pope Benedict XVI in fact announced that the offerings collected during the In Cœna Domini holy mass, which will be once again celebrated in the Lateran Basilica, will go to reconstruction.

During the ritual washing of the feet, the assembled faithful "will be invited to make an act of charity and donate money that under the Pope's auspices will go towards rebuilding homes for landslide victims in the diocese of Maasin, in the Philippines".

"The situation in the area has somewhat improved," the prelate said. "The efforts by the diocese's Social Acton Centres and other governmental and non governmental agencies at rehabilitation are going ahead".

"I spent Palm Sunday with them [landslide victims] yesterday. I visited orphans and went to see the progress in reconstruction. I am happy to say that 100 homes are being built for families that lost everything in that avalanche of mud."

According to figures released by the Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, the February 17 tragedy killed 972 people causing damages estimated at US$ 4 million. Two weeks of intensive rain wiped out Guinsaugon, in the southern part of Leyte Island, which was home to some 1,800 people. According to locals, 1,200 people are still missing.

"What to do with the orphans remains the most urgent issue. There are so many," Bishop Cantillas lamented. "The diocese cannot take responsibility for them without the consent of the Social Services Department. We have that consent but priority goes to the families and some of the orphans might still have living relatives somewhere".

"Some of the kids want to remain under our care and I think the situation is urgent to prevent human traffickers from getting involved as occurred in other cases," he explained. "I promised them that I would take care of the situation as soon as possible and as long as money didn't run out."

"I have spoken to families waiting for a home who are currently sheltered in schools. In June, schools will reopen and so they will move to shelters set up around the buildings. Let us hope that we can get them into real houses very soon," he said.

• philippines
• maasin
• diocese
• guinsaugon
• leyte
• island
• mgr
• precioso
• d.
• cantillas
• landslide
• death
• destruction
• february
• 17