3rd year of Yolanda: Thousands of survivors commemorate disaster

TANAUAN, LEYTE, Philippines — Thousands of survivors of Yolanda mark today, November 8, the third year of the devastation of the world’s strongest typhoon, with various ceremonies and activities around Eastern Visayas.

Tanauan (Leyte) town Mayor Pel Tecson said Vice President Leni Robredo will be gracing the 3rd Yolanda commemoration in his town, where she will turn over 895 completed houses to the survivors.

Tecson said Tanauanons deem the November 8 of Yolanda, in its 3rd year, as a day of hope to celebrate life after surviving the super typhoon, rebuild from the devastation, and a moment of thanksgiving for the new life.

Tanauan was one of the totally devastated towns in Leyte by Yolanda, with more than 1,000 deaths and missing from various coastal barangays.

Palo Archbishop John Du and Caritas Philippines head, Nueva Caceres Archbishop Rolando.Tria Tirona, together with some priests from Leyte, will hold a con-celebrated mass at the Tanauan Public Plaza at 7:30 a.m. today.

This day is also the feast day of the devotion to the Our Lady of Hope of the Archdiocese of Palo, according to Reverend Father Chris Militante, media coordinator of the Palo Archdiocese.

The image of the Our Lady of Hope, shown with children clinging to her, was at the center at the Altar when Pope Francis celebrated mass on January 17, 2015 at the Tacloban City Airport at the height of typhoon Amang.

Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominic Petilla will join Leyteños in the commemoration of Yolanda’s 3rd year, with a wreath-laying at the Monument of Hope at Barangay Calogcog in Tanauan town. The Monument of Hope is the site of the mass grave of at least 200 who died in Yolanda, and is located along the junction to and from Palo town.

At the Basper Mass Grave in Tacloban City, where thousands of unidentified dead bodies were buried, thousands of survivors also are expected to troop to the site to honor and pray for their departed loved ones  who died during the storm surge of Yolanda at 7:38 a.m. on November 8, 2013.

Wreath-laying and Masses will be held at Basper, the Holy Cross Cemetery and the Anibong Shipwreck Landmark, commemorative program at the Astrodome, candle-lighting along city streets and releasing of sky memorial lanterns, spearheaded by the Tacloban City government.

There will also be Masses in Roman Catholic churches in Leyte and Samar as well as private prayers locally known as “tapos” offered by families of the survivors.

Members of the Leyte media will troop to the Broadcaster Ramon Noblejas junction at Real Street in Tacloban for the 3rd Yolanda Media Memorial at 2 p.m. today, to honor and offer prayers for the media practitioners who died at the height of the typhoon and after the tragedy.

Organized by the Publishers Association of the Philippines,Inc.(PAPI) Visayas, Eastern Visayas Tri-Media Association,Inc. The Manila Newsweek and The Tacloban Star newspapers of Nestor Abrematea, the annual activity will pay tribute to the journalists who died: Broadcaster Ronald Viñas of DYVL Aksyon Radyo, Archie Globio and Malou Realino of DYBR-AM whose remains are still missing; columnist Engineer Gregorio Caing, Editor Rolly Montilla and Editor Dindo Orteza who died after the storm.  (FREEMAN)