Tacloban City to hold a grand mass in memory of
'Yolanda' victims
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte) A grand mass will be
offered here today, Sunday (December 8), to commemorate the thousands of
victims who perished from the onslaught of super typhoon "Yolanda"
last month, an information quoting Tacloban City Administrator John Tecson Lim
said.
Lim said the mass will be held at 4:00 p.m. at
the Santo Niño Parish Church. It is expected to be attended by local officials,
city hall workers, and residents as a Day of Prayer and Remembrance in East
Visayas has been announced.
Santo Niño Parish priests will also bless mass
graves at the villages of Suhi and Basper, according to Fr. Gani Petilos. Other
churches in various parts of Leyte will also do the same on top of other
activities they are planning to hold.
The Archdiocese of Palo also declared an
Archdiocesan Day of Prayer and Remembrance also on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. in its
cathedral. A prayer and blessing of the mass burial sites in the area will be
held as well, according to Monsignor Bernie Pantin, parish priest of the Palo
Cathedral.
Official casualty count based on the latest
figures released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(NDRRMC) stands at 5,796 while 1,700 remain missing. Workers from the Bureau of
Fire Protection (BFP)-Region VIII are still retrieving bodies exhumed from the
rubble.
As of Saturday morning (December 7), some 37
bodies were recovered by a team led by BFP-R8 Chief Inspector Sergio Nayra
around the Sagkahan district, including that of a 19 year-old female that was
found near a fishing village, as well as the remains of a mother and her
daughter located near San Fernando School. PND (hdc)
Australian Minister slated to visit Ormoc and
Tacloban Cities Sunday, says reports
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte) Australian Foreign Affairs
Minister Julie Bishop is scheduled to visit here, as well as in the city of
Ormoc, today to check on the assistance their government has provided to the
Visayas region one month since super typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan)
struck.
Bishop is going to drop by the Australian field
hospital here and will proceed to Ormoc where some Australian defense forces
are conducting clearing and rehabilitation work at the Libertad Elementary
School.
The Australian minister will also announce a new
humanitarian assistance from the Australian government in aid of the ongoing
post-Yolanda relief and rehabilitation efforts in the region, according to
reports.
Australia has so far pledged a total of PHP
1,318,078,983.90 worth of assistance to the Philippine government for relief
and recovery operations, based on the figures published by the Official
Gazette’s Foreign Aid Transparency Hub. PND (hdc)
People of Leyte mark one month of 'Yolanda'
tragedy with prayers, masses
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte) Messages of hope and
gratitude to the Lord sprang from the churches here as the people of Leyte
remember the tragedy brought by super typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan) in
this area and other Visayan provinces in November 8, exactly one month from
today.
Fr. Isagani Petilos, parish priest of the Santo
Niño Church, officiated a nine o’clock mass this morning as part of the Day of
Prayer and Remembrance that is currently being implemented here and in other
towns of Leyte to commemorate the thousands who did not survive the calamity.
He said life in his town is slowly going back to
normal as manifested by some offices that opened since last week. Employees
resumed their work and classes in some schools have also recommenced
notwithstanding the damages in the structures.
“We are moving towards normalcy already. As you
can see, aside from the clean streets, stores have started to open. We are
starting to eat fish,” Fr. Petilos said in an interview he granted after the
mass.
“Sa ngayon sa misa I was so surprised that our
church now is also full and standing. As in every other normal Sunday is dito,
talagang punung-puno ang simbahan, so we’re hoping that we’re slowly moving on
towards normalcy,” he added.
Apart from the regular Sunday masses held this
morning, Santo Niño Parish would also have a ‘grand mass’ in the afternoon.
Flowers would be offered and candles would be lit for the victims of Yolanda.
Santo Niño Parish priests were also expected to
carry out a blessing on the mass burial sites at the villages of Suhi and
Basper. Same activities were also expected to be held in the other churches of
Leyte.
In Palo, an Archdiocesan Day of Prayer and
Remembrance was declared. A prayer and blessing on the mass burial sites in the
area would be conducted as well, according to Monsignor Bernie Pantin, parish
priest of the Palo Cathedral. PND (hdc)
Australia gives additional AUD 10-Million
humanitarian assistance to the Philippines
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte) The Australian government
has extended an additional AUD 10-million worth of humanitarian assistance to
the Philippines in aid of its continuing post- Yolandau relief and
rehabilitation efforts, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced Sunday.
Bishop was in town to assess the damage caused
by super typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan) in the area. She has met with the
Australian medical team here as well as the Australian defense forces who are
conducting clearing operations in Ormoc City.
“I thank the Australian health, defense, aid,
consular, and other officials who have responded to the Philippine government’s
requests, and the Australian public, who have given generously by donating more
than $13-million dollars to aid agencies,” Bishop said in a press statement.
The additional AUD 10-million in humanitarian
relief that Bishop announced brings Australia’s contribution to a total of AUD
40-million or approximately PHP 1,599,200,000. The assistance, coursed through
various international aid agencies, is broken down as follows:
• AUD 3,000,000 to assist the United Nations
Children’s Fund to provide clean water and sanitation, and to undertake urgent
school rehabilitation;
• AUD 1,000,000 to the United Nations Population
Fund for health and hygiene support, and supplementary feeding for pregnant and
lactating women;
• AUD 2,000,000 to assist the World Health
Organization to continue to provide emergency health care, and to help restore
the public health system, particularly in Tacloban;
• AUD 3,000,000 to Philippine non-government
organizations to assist them to provide shelter and livelihood support to those
affected by the calamity; and
• AUD 1,000,000 for transport, medical stores,
and costs associated with the Australian field hospital in Tacloban.
After her activities here in Leyte, Bishop said
she will meet with her Filipino counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert
del Rosario and other Cabinet secretaries in Manila.
They will discuss the country’s recovery and
reconstruction needs, as well as broaden bilateral and regional issues between
the Philippines and Australia. PND (hdc)
Tacloban City expects sad Christmas but people
remains hopeful nonetheless
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte) Christmas is just around
the corner and while some people are excited to celebrate the happiest occasion
of the year, others may use this as an opportunity to grieve.
Fr. Isagani Petilos of the Santo Niño Parish
here said they are expecting to have a sad Christmas this year, especially for
the surviving victims of super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ who have lost everything, but
they certainly are not losing hope despite the tragedy.
“Actually that is part of our mission sa
simbahan na kahit dumaan tayo ng bagyo ay tuloy pa rin ang Pasko, tuloy pa rin
ang buhay. And itong ginagawa natin ngayon na paggunita sa mga namatay at saka
pasasalamat sa Diyos na nag-survive kami, this is our way of doing
psycho-spiritual debriefing to our people, to move forward,” he said in an
interview.
Fr. Petilos said they are holding on to the
grace of God and the inspiration that kindhearted people bring to their
community to help them welcome this coming yuletide season since a lot of the
victims are still in the period of mourning.
“We expect na malungkot ang Pasko. Grieving
starts to come into their hearts. Kasi in the last two or three weeks, we don’t
have time to grieve, so medyo matindi pa rin ‘yung parating na Pasko,” Fr.
Petilos said.
“But we are hoping that with the grace of God,
and with the inspiration of the other people, other volunteers, other
agencies—some have promised to come here during Christmas, magbibigay ng mga
Christmas, may magbibigay siguro ng mga concerts or whatsoever, we are happy
for this kasi it will help us a lot,” he added.
On a personal standpoint, Fr. Petilos said he
fears that some people might get overwhelmed with grief during Christmas time
because that is when everything that happened will sink into their hearts and
consciousness.
“There will be longing for the family, longing
for the lost members of the family, (but) we will pray that we can still
survive. We have survived already the greatest... maybe the greatest challenge
in our life, so we are hoping that we can still survive these obstacles,” he
said. PND (hdc)
Palace assures calamity victims of immediate
normalization
Malacanang made an assurance Sunday that the
administration remains focused on addressing the rehabilitation of all the
areas in the country devastated by recent calamities.
Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.
said in a radio interview Sunday that they expect the government’s
rehabilitation fund to increase with the passage of the P14.6 billion
supplemental budget by Congress and the expected approval of the 2014 national
budget.
The Aquino administration remains determined to
bring the lives of the people in calamity areas back to normal, Coloma told
dzRB Radyo ng Bayan in an interview.
Reporting on the updates of the ongoing
rehabilitation efforts of the government following the devastating quake in
Bohol and Typhoon Yolanda, he said Public Works and Highway Secretary Rogelio
Singson reported to the President Saturday that all damaged bridges in Bohol
have been repaired and are now usable.
The government is also rushing the construction
of 159 bunkhouse units in Tacloban and different towns in Leyte and Samar.
Coloma said they expect that these units will be available to 3,816 families
before Christmas.
In Tacloban City, the government is constructing
48 bunkhouses in three locations. In Palo, two sites for 28 units; Ormoc, 20
units; Basey, four units; Marabut, eight units; Guiuan, 16 units; and Hernani,
11 units. For other parts of Eastern Samar, the government will be building 24
units of bunkhouses. Ninety-six bunkhouse units will be built in Leyte and 63
units in Samar, Coloma said.
While the government is working hard to address
the needs of the people in Bohol and in Leyte and Samar, it is also busy
helping the residents of Compostela Valley, Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental
devastated by Typhoon Pablo.
“Ang National Housing Authority at ang
Department of Public Works and Highways – ang dalawang pangunahing ahensiya sa
Task Force Pablo na tumututok sa rehabilitasyon at pagbabagong tatag, inatasan
ni Pangulong Aquino si Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras na pamunuan ang
Task Force Pablo upang tiyakin ang pakikipag-ugnayan ng lahat ng kagawaran at
ahensiya upang mapabilis ang rehabilitasyon,” Coloma said.
The government allotted P10.53 billion for
Typhoon Pablo rehabilitation, he said. With this amount, P8.49 billion was
allocated for housing projects of the NHA and P1.1 billion for the DPWH.
The DPWH immediately focused on the construction
and repair of damaged bridges in Caraga, Taytayan and Odiongan in Davao
Oriental; Compostela Valley; and Surigao del Sur.
In Davao Oriental, Coloma belied reports that
the government wasn’t able to turn over newly built homes to typhoon-affected
residents. He said Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon reported that the
houses were turned over the other day.
There was also no scheduled visit of the
President to Davao Oriental because of the state visit of Myanmar President
Thein Sein and the President’s meeting with his Cabinet on the ongoing
rehabilitation works.
“Patuloy po ang pakikipag-ugnayan ng pambansang
pamahalaan sa lokal na pamahalaan upang matiyak ang pagbibigay ng kalinga sa
ating mga mamamayan sa mga nasalanta ng Typhoon Pablo at iba pang kalamidad,”
Coloma said. PND (as)
Palace condemns killing of Surigao del Sur
broadcaster
Malacanang condemned the killing of a Surigao
del Sur broadcaster saying a police task force was already created to hunt down
the perpetrators.
“Kinokondena po namin ang pagpaslang kay Ginoong
Michael Milo, isang broadcaster ng Prime Radio FM sa Tandag City Surigao del
Sur kahapon,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a radio
interview Sunday over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
Coloma said Surigao del Sur police is currently
pursuing the killers of Milo and a special investigation task group was created
by the PNP for the immediate conclusion of the case.
“Napag-utusan na po ang PNP na gawin ang lahat
ng nararapat para po matugis, mahuli at mapanagot ang mga pumaslang kay Ginoong
Milo,” he said.
At least three motorcycle-riding men gunned down
Milo, the latest media killing in the past few weeks. The report said Milo was
heading home aboard a motorcycle when the three motorcycle-riding men shot him.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital but doctors
were not able to save him.
The killing of Milo came about two weeks after
radio dxGT blocktimer Joas Dignos of Radyo Abante was gunned down in Valencia
City in Bukidnon last November 29. PND (as)
President Aquino wants Leviste's parole
investigated
President Benigno S. Aquino III isn’t happy with
parole granted by the Parole Board to former Batangas governor Leviste and he
wanted the whole process investigated, a Palace official said on Sunday.
Quoted by Communication Secretary Herminio
Coloma Jr. in an radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, the President said:
“I am not happy with the decision and I am having the whole matter
investigated.”
The President read reports on the parole granted
to Leviste and he wants to know the background on how the Parole board came out
of a decision to grant Leviste freedom, Coloma said.
Leviste and 34 other inmates from the national
penitentiary walked as free men last week after the Parole board granted them
parole.
Bureau of Corrections said Leviste was released
because he has served the minimum term of his prison sentence.
Leviste has been convicted by the Makati
regional trial court for the death of his aide Rafael Delas Alas and was meted
the penalty of six years and one day to 12 years of imprisonment.
In 2011, he was embroiled in a controversy
following reports that he could sneak in and out of the prison facility
whenever he wanted. PND (as)
