Leyte, Samar mark 4th Yolanda tragedy

PALO, LEYTE, Philippines — Thousands of people in Leyte and Samar who survived the devastation of super typhoon Yolanda four years ago will be joining the commemoration rites today (Nov. 8), in Tacloban City and nearby town of Palo, the most devastated areas during that tragedy.

Religious activities have been started in Tacloban since Saturday–the blessing of the Yolanda Memorial–as well as candle lighting ceremony, flower offerings and Masses in the mass graves, and separate commemorative rites will also be held today in the other affected towns of Palo, Tanauan, and Tolosa.

Yesterday evening in Palo, a program of offerings and prayers was held at the town plaza, where performers render songs, poetry and dances as tribute to the victims. Today a Mass will be celebrated at the Metropolitan Cathedral, followed by a blessing of the Palo Memorial, and the releasing of white doves.

Leyte Governor Dominic Petilla said that one of the highlights in today's commemoration rights is the submersion of icons of French saints in the waters off the coasts of the Yolanda-affected towns, from Tacloban down south to Tolosa.

The icons of Saint Medard of France, the patron saint for protection from bad storms, will be unveiled in rites along the shores of areas that were devastated by the storm surge of  Yolanda, before these will be submerged into the waters. Later on, these will be sites for pilgrimages and tourism, organizers said.

"We can have stronger hold of our inner life against the bad weather with the help of St. Medard through prayers," Petilla told The Freeman and the Philippine Star.

Earlier, divers from other parts of Luzon and the Visayas have marked the sites for submersion of the icons off the coastal towns that were worst hit by Yolanda. For Tanauan town, however, the residents there decided to put up the St. Medard icon on one of its junctions, facing the sea.

Leyte Vice Governor Carlo Loreto, for his part, said Yolanda brought unimaginable destruction of humanity and properties in Eastern Visayas, where more than 6,000 lives were lost and hundreds more still missing to this day.

"The yearly commemoration of the Yolanda devastation should have more meaning (and) impact by taking care of our environment and strengthening our spiritual faith," Loreto said.

Loreto said that, while natural disasters are unavoidable, some of these could be linked to human activities particularly on destruction of the environment. The Yolanda experience however, will "strengthen our faith and relationship with God," said the vice governor. (FREEMAN)