‘Bangon…Daloy ng Pag-asa’ airs today

CEBU, Philippines - In time for the 1st anniversary of typhoon Yolanda, GMA Regional TV presents “Bangon…Daloy ng Pag-asa,” a moving documentary that highlights the reminiscences of the destructive storm that swept through the country last year and killed at least 6,000 people. It airs today, via all nine GMA regional stations nationwide.

Mel Tiangco, GMA Kapuso Foundation (GMAKF) Executive Vice President and GMA News and Public Affairs pillar, narrates moving accounts of how victims of the typhoon particularly in Palo, Leyte are picking up the pieces of their broken hopes and dreams.

In “Bangon…Daloy ng Pag-asa,” get to know the story of two fathers, who are lone survivors of their respective families, and how they are holding on to the memories of their loved ones as they fight back with a little bit of hope in their hearts. Be prepared to meet a man who is determined to start a new life with his two remaining children despite losing 32 members of his clan.

Then there’s a priest who personally dug a mass grave right in the backyard of his church. Know how he remains thankful for the miracles of kindness from strangers and how he is helping parishioners build back their lives.

Meanwhile, discover the heartaches of a mother whose eyes still well up in tears at the mention of her loss of seven children and grandchildren. Learn how she surrendered everything to God at the height of the storm and how she looks forward to living in her very own house as a beneficiary of GMAKF’s Kapuso Village in Palo.

Lastly, listen to the homily of Palo Archbishop John Du encouraging people to keep the faith no matter what.

To Paloanons, “Bangon” is not just a rallying cry to rise above the challenges wrought by the world’s strongest typhoon in 2013, ironically, it is also the name of a river system that traverses several barangays in Palo and is both a source of livelihood and intense flooding in the area.

Bangon River is a witness to the Paloanons’ evolving cultural, religious and political history.  Flowing near the landing site where American General Douglas MacArthur fulfilled his promise to return to Philippine soil 70 years ago, the river also stood witness to the rise and fall of ancient civilizations in Leyte from the 10th to the 16th century.

Ultimately, be reminded that despite the hardest of blows dealt by life and death itself, hope still flows, and hearts can still move on. Don’t miss “Bangon…Daloy ng Pag-asa” this Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., via all nine GMA regional stations in Ilocos, Bicol, Dagupan, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao, GenSan, and Cagayan de Oro. (PR) (FREEMAN)