Canonization of Mother Marie Eugenie
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Typhoon Ondoy + Typhoon Pepeng = Terrible Tragedy, October 12, 2009
Shortly after Typhoon Ondoy submerged most of Manila and surrounding areas, another super typhoon (named Pepeng) struck the northern part of the island of Luzon. Again our Sisters are in the middle of relief efforts, trying to offer as much help as possible. Sr. Regina Victoria, who was caught by the typhoon in Baguio, continues to update us on the state of things. (see below)
If you would like to send a donation to help the Sisters help the typhoon victims, you may send it to:
Religious of the Assumption
Attention: Sr. Nuala Cotter, RA
11 Old English Road
Worcester, MA 01609
Please make checks payable to Religious of the Assumption and write "Philippine Typhoon Fund" in the memo line. Your donation will be acknowledged and is tax deductible.
Let us keep the people of the Philippines and all victims of natural disasters in our prayer.
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From Sr. Regina Victoria, R.A.
San Lorenzo, Philippine-Thailand Province
Oct. 12, 2009
Still stranded, I’m helping the sisters and the baranggay (town) council attend to the emergency needs of our neighbors. The TV and newspapers must have given you sufficient images and data of the severe damage and loss of lives here in Baguio-Benguet. An entire family of eight was buried in mud after a terrible landslide along Marcos Highway near the Kitma road junction. The mother, Leonore Andrada, studied in St. Martin (the Assumption school in Baguio). They were able to recover the bodies only Saturday morning when the torrential rain stopped. By then the road block in Crystal cave was removed and we were free to move around to help in relief operations. All seven of us were at the barranggay gym with Leonore’s parents to receive the eight wooden coffins Saturday afternoon. The deep silence expressed their unfathomable sorrow. Their neighbors also lost their houses and all their belongings in the landslide that can still be seen from Marcos highway. Tomorrow we are delivering emergency relief goods to the sixty worst-hit families of our baranggay. Our St. Martin alumni/ae have been leading the rescue and relief operations for many days now. We are working with them.
We are also helping Miss Benitez of Café-by-Ruins (she’s a graduate of the Assumption school in San Lorenzo), where hot meals are prepared daily to reach evacuees where government and other organizations have not yet arrived. Her Café is a literal melting pot. The staff gives up their free time to cook the food. Friends, other Baguio-based Manila alumnae bring in rice and vegetables daily even if the price goes up by the hour to sustain the feeding project. We contributed some sacks of rice and blankets and saw people young and old bring in their vegetables, etc. Student volunteers bring the cooked food immediately to different evacuation centers beyond Trinidad valley. It’s the same beautiful alay-kapwa (solidarity) I’m seeing since Typhoon Ondoy in MetroManila to here, Typhoon Pepeng in Baguio.
Our own property has damages, too. There is a terrible landslide outside the sacristy facing the creek. Catherine saw water gushing forth from the soil even when the rains were dying down which brought the whole hill down to the creek! Fr. Jay Alipio sent an architect-engineer to study and make recommendations. Sr. Fe and Sr. Melania are finding all means to come up to attend to these needs. The front page of almost all newspapers show how we are cut off and how dangerous are the first attempts through Kenon Road.
I’ve been asking God why I’m here…I begin to suspect God wants me to feel more deeply the pains of his people and the great responsibility we have to take care of our earth. For days, I stayed with the psalmist’s words: I turn my eyes to the Lord from whom all help comes. And my heart knows the Lord will come to our help. We need to be sensitive to recognize and welcome this help.
