Memorial Mass in Tacloban for the victims and survivors of Typhoon Yolanda 10 years later
On the tenth anniversary of the tragedy that killed at least 6,300 people, a service was held in their memory in the city of Tacloban, attended by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Local Catholic women and men were fundamental in rebuilding lives and villages.
Manila, (AsiaNews) – On 8 November 2013 Super Typhoon Yolanda (known internationally as Typhoon Haiyan) hit the Philippines, one of the deadliest weather phenomena in history, killing more than 6,300 people, with some 28,000 injured and three million left homeless.
In the Philippines, the event brought home the urgency of preventing and responding to natural disasters caused by climate change.
In 2015, Pope Francis made an apostolic visit the country, travelling to some of the places hit by the typhoon.
Ten years later, how are the communities of Tacloban, the capital of Leyte province in the eastern Visayas region, the area most affected by the super typhoon, coping with its aftermath?
When the typhoon struck, Vincentian Father Daniel Franklin E. Pilario, a professor of theology at Adamson University in Manila, volunteered to help the people and the parish priest of San Antonio in Western Samar, one of the hardest hit coastal cities.
“We all honour all the victims and those who survived, those who kept on struggling until today,” Fr Pilario said.
Back then, he had time to talk to people in their tents and makeshift houses and help a group of nuns in their work among farmers and fisherfolk.
“I still remember people's stories of pain, struggle, and anguish, along with a great sense of faith at Ground Zero,” the priest added.
Another key person at the time was Sister Ma Lisa Ruedas, a member of the congregation of the Daughters of Charity. Ten years after the typhoon, she remembers her experience in Cambayan, a village in Basey, a municipality in Samar province.
The children who witnessed the disaster are now adults. Many of the youth in Cambayan are now professionals thanks to educational grants from the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP), an international Catholic lay group founded in 1833.
Little by little, the economy as well as the life in local villages and towns are recovering. “Survivors still struggle with their faith and life experiences, yet life continues to unfold,” Sister Ruedas said. Since then, “They started to regain their dignity and have slowly rebuilt their lives.”
Maria Christina Cruz, who studied nursing, is one of Yolanda's survivors and now works at a local hospital. “To remember what happened in 2013 is not easy. Over the years, I have managed to move on with patience, persistence, and prayer,” she said.
Hundreds of government agencies, NGOs and volunteer groups have helped survivors rebuild, educate young people, and restore business activities starting with fishing.
Yesterday, thousands of Filipinos from the region attended a Mass at Tacloban's main convention centre, to remember the dead and honour those who helped rebuild the city.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr was among them. “We still don't know the full extent of our loss because we are still grieving and mourning our dead,” he said.
In a video message, Vice President Sara Duterte said that Typhoon Yolanda "left an indelible mark on our hearts" and that “it also showed how strong and resilient the people who were affected would be.”
She praised the "unwavering spirit of Filipinos, who rose above adversity and have rebuilt their lives with determination and courage."
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03/07/2017 14:05
