Devotees told to take care of God's creations, environment

NAVAL, BILIRAN, Philippines  — The thousands of devotees, who welcomed the pilgrim of the Señor Sto. Niño de Cebu as it arrived in this town Friday morning, were reminded by the Church to give importance to all creation of God, especially the environment or marine resources of which many people depend on.

The icon arrived on board the Philippine Navy's Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo ship, and sailed together with the image of the St. Therese of the Child Jesus, on another navy ship, and two other passenger marine vessels, one of which was Roble Shipping's Blessed Star that carried the pilgrims.

Full honors, with horns blowing, were given to the Holy Child, being the "Lord Admiral of The Sea," by the Phillipine Navy and civilian ships anchored at the nearby ports.

The Sto. Niño de Cebu left Cebu Thursday night after a Holy Mass at the Basilica. It was moved to the Malacañang sa Sugbu in a religious procession attended by the faithful and those who sent Him to the province of Biliran. It sailed for almost nine hours from Cebu before reaching the port of Naval at past 6 p.m. Friday.

The visit, referred to as "Duaw Sto. Niño" was aimed at preaching the people on the value of God's creation, said Fr. Tito Soquiño, executive director of the Basilica's Santo Niño de Cebu Agustinian Social Development Foundation Inc. and president of the environment group, Knight-Stewards of the Sea, Inc. (SeaKnights).

Soquino told The FREEMAN that while Christianity has been spread all over the world, the Duaw, which targets all 7000 plus islands of the Philippines, was aimed at spreading environmental consciousness among God's people, especially now that the world is facing the effects of climate change.

The priest, as head of SeaKnights, spearheaded the Scubasurero yesterday in the marine sanctuaries of Calubian, also in Biliran, and the neighboring islands.

Naval Bishop Filomeno Bactol, in his homily during a Holy Mass, told parishioners the Sto. Niño has come back to the island of Leyte-where Biliran once belonged before it became a province-to remind His people that they are supposed to take care of His creation.

"Why did Sto. Niño come? To remind us to watch over the world that God had created for us. When God created the world, He said: 'take care of it." Not dominate it. But we are doing otherwise, so now, we are experiencing global warming," Bactol said.

"We are partly the reason sa nahitabo sa kalibutan, pataka lang ta og labay sa atong sagbot, adto sa dagat, mao nga kan-on sa isda, nga moresulta nga mamatay kini. Tungod sa global warming, dili na mamonga ang mga tanom. So now, God is here as a Child aron kita makipagsulti Kaniya as children of God, haron bantayan ang kalibutan," the bishop said.

Bactol also related the visit of the Sto. Niño to the issue on Reproductive Health Bill, saying such is bound to kill life contrary to the assurance of lawmakers and those who supported it. "They keep on talking about these essential medicines. Makatambal diay na? Dili, kundi makamatay! The Sto. Niño is with us now to also remind us that life is precious to Him," he said.

The Sto. Niño, after the procession to the Naval State University where it stayed for a while for public veneration, was brought to the St. Therese Diocesan Shrine at Calubian Island in Leyte where it stayed overnight to become a part of yesterday's feast of the St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

Hundreds of the locals flocked to the Shrine, situated at the top of the hill overlooking Leyte's vast municipal waters. A foot procession from the shrine to the Calubian port was a send off for the Sto. Niño yesterday afternoon as it sailed back home to Cebu.

Soquiño said in so many years, millions of the Sto. Niño devotees paid Him a visit at the Basilica, but now "it is God that visits His people."

The priest added that the Sto. Niño will visit more other islands in the future, and among these are Limasawa Island and probably the controversial Spratlys. (FREEMAN)