MANILA, Oct. 26, 2015 – Heeding the appeal of Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle, parishes, shrines, and chapels in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila (RCAM) devoted their second collection of donations in all Masses last Sunday to aid survivors of Typhoon “Lando” (International Name: Koppu).
In a circular released last October 19, RCAM Chancellor Fr. Reginald R. Malicdem urged parishes to immediately remit the donations to the Treasury and Accounting Department at the Arzobispado de Manila. Part of the proceeds will be kept as the RCAM’s disaster fund.
The letter also directed that the special collection for “Prison Awareness Sunday” supposed to be held on the same date be moved instead to Sunday, November 8.
Similarly, the Diocese of Borongan in Eastern Samar also conducted what it considers its own “urgent collection” of donations for Lando victims.
“The Bishop [Crispin B. Varquez] requests that we make a Second Collection in our Masses this Sunday, 25 Oct. 2015 for the victims/survivors of Typhoon Lando. Please remit the said collection to the Office of the Financial Administrator as soon as possible,” said Borongan Chancellor Neil Gavan Tenefrancia in a letter dated October 22.
Eastern Samar, particularly its municipalities of Guiuan and Basey, was among the provinces that received the brunt of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) back in November 2013. Catholics in the typhoon-prone province celebrated the 55th founding anniversary of their diocese last October 22.
Earlier, members of Caritas Internationalis in Europe and the United States pledged support amounting to P8.9 million to the Philippine Church’s ongoing relief operations for survivors of Typhoon “Lando.”
Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, through its social action arm, the National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA)/Caritas Philippines, will roll out a P13.21-million relief project to aid communities affected by the typhoon.
At least 41 individuals perished due to Typhoon “Lando,” a Category 5 typhoon that made landfall last October 18. According to state agencies, a total of 268,877 families or 1,242,239 persons, were affected by the storm in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4-A (Calabarzon), 5, National Capital Region and CAR while 25,182 families or 113,584 persons remains in 106 evacuation centers.
Considered as the worst typhoon that hit the country this year, “Lando” caused damage to agriculture worth at least P6.43 billion, and to infrastructure, P902 million. (Raymond A. Sebastián / CBCP News)