“Ngunian igwa nin mga nasa makuring kamugtakan. Dai kitamalingaw sa mga tugang niato orog sa mga nanganga-ipopakatapos agihan kan hagupit ni Pepito. Makapagbalos logodkita nin karahayan siring man maka-dolot nin mga sakripisyonin mga pasasalamat, pagtabang para sa satuyangkapwa." (There are those of us who are in challenging situations. May we never forget those who are in need after being devastated by super typhoon Pepito (Man-yi). May we be able to give back the generosity we have received and offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and help those in need.) These reminders of Caceres Archbishop Rex Andrew C. Alarcon that served as a call echoed inside the sacred walls of the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral St. John the Evangelist Parish at five in the afternoon of Sunday, 17th of November, in his homily after super typhoon Pepito’s strong winds passed by the province of Camarines Sur.
“An Catanduanes, Caramoan, Garchitorena iyo an nagsapo kanhagupit kan bagyo (Catanduanes, Caramoan, and Garchitorenasuffered the brunt of the typhoon),” said the prelate. “Kaya ginigiromdom nyato ngunian an satong mga tugang natinamaan kan bagyong Pepito asin ipinapamibi nyato sinda- an mga pamilya, mga gurang, an mga kasaraditan (Thus, we remember today our brothers and sisters who were greatly affected by the typhoon Pepito. We pray for them, the families, the elderly and those in the fringes of society).”
Preparing for Pepito
Caritas Caceres, the Social Action arm of the Archdiocese of Caceres, reported that 1,702 families, a total of 7,531individuals, went to 33 parishes and Catholic schools which opened doors to evacuees. Hot meals were distributed to some. Since it was a Sunday, masses were either cancelled or adjusted due to wind signal #4. Fr. Marc Real, director of Caritas Caceres, said that opening the doors of the parish churches, parish halls and Catholic institutions as evacuation sites is a standard operation procedure (SOP). The Archbishop himself gave the instructions, Real said. Many parishes utilized their social media accounts to announce the opening of churches and halls to welcome evacuees.
“Several parishes and institutions of the Archdiocese anticipate the onslaught of TS Pepito by opening up churches as evacuation centers, activating their Parish Disaster Response Teams (PaDRe) and Saradit na Kristyanong Komunidad (SKK) leaders to distribute early relief goods and hygiene kits to vulnerable residents,” the Archdiocese of Caceres reported in their FB account a day prior to the arrival of the typhoon.
In anticipation of the super typhoon and with the recent massive flooding brought about by typhoon Kristine, almost all frantically prepared for Typhoon Pepito. Archbishop Alarcon said “dakulang bagay na kita nakapag-andam sa pagpanaray, nakadakit sa lugar na ligtas maski ngani dai pa man girarayniato magibo an gabos. Ining satong pag-andam nagtao sato nindikit na kumpiansa (It is a good thing that we were able to prepare and to transfer to a safer place. Although we cannot really say that we have done what we have to do, at least, it gave us some confidence to face the coming super typhoon).”
Be watchful
Continuing his Sunday reflection, Alarcon said, “Iyo man ini an mensahe kan ebanghelyo: magmaan, maging marigmat, magbantay huli ta sa pag-abot ni Kagurangnan igwa nin mgasenyales.Kaipuhan na maging bukas kita para mahiling niato an mga pasabong kan panahon kan Mahal na Dios sa buhay ta. Huli ta dakul kitang pinagkakasibutan sa panahon nyatongunyan. Alagad pag mina-abot an bagyo dai daw nyatonaririsa an mga kinakasibotan niato garo nawawaran ninhalaga- an kayamanan, an kapangyarihan, mga kaogmahanpatin mga kapangganahan, garo kita nai-babalik, garo nare-reset kita sa mahahalaga o essential na bagay na sana. (This is also the message of the Gospel for this Sunday: be on guard, be watchful because the coming of the Lord will bear some signs. We need to be open so we can see the promptings of the Lord in our life especially now that we are preoccupied with so many things. But when a storm comes, the thing that occupies our attention seems to become worthless – power, wealth, success, happiness. We are being reset (sort of) to the more essential things only.)”
In summary, the archbishop shared three points to ponder on: “First, our life has an ending. Keep in mind the end of times, says the gospel. Don’t live as if there is no ending. Second, we will never know when the end will come. We have no capability to prolong life. Only God knows and He has the last word. This calls us to trust in God alone. To Him we owe all the goodness we have. Third, prepare and be watchful. Be on guard. Use your capability to prepare. And if it does not suffice, leave it to God.”
An Appeal for Catanduanes
The Diocese of Virac, in their social media post, appealed for help after Pepito devastated Catanduanes. “The island province of Catanduanes needs your help. Typhoon Pepito has left our kababayans with devastated homes, disrupted livelihoods and shattered hopes. We humbly appeal for your generosity and kindness to support them in this difficult time.” With a maximum speed of 195 km per hour, Pepito made its first landfall in Panganiban at 9:40 pm Saturday, 16th of November. Wind signal at that time was no. 5, which was also raised over Caramoan, Garchitorena, Lagonoy and Presentacion. Needless to say, these strong winds made heavy and life–threatening impacts on the towns and islands where it passed.
Alarcon concluded his homily with an appeal: “May we be able to give back the generosity we have received and offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and help those in need. It is right and proper that we gather to give thanks, to pray and to invoke help because the Gospel tells us that God is the source of all goodness and in God alone all will have a culmination.”
-Myrna S. Bermudo
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