Bishop’s home, Catholic churches and schools opened doors to evacuees as typhoon Kristine left the Bicol Region submerged in massive flood

By Natalie Hazel Quimlat, MD

In the evening of October 22, typhoon Kristine brought heavy rains in the Bicol region causing massive flooding and landslides, displacing many families and leaving travelers stranded. Virac Bishop Luisito Occiano was one of these many stranded individuals.

An invitation to pause and listen to God’s voice

The recently appointed Bishop wrote on his social media page that his initial trip back to Virac, Catanduanes was canceled due to the typhoon, causing him to return to Nabua, Camarines Sur. The prelate wrote of his experience, “Being stranded due to typhoon Kristine [was] challenging, but in moments like these, faith reminds us that even in unexpected situations, God has a purpose”. Occiano provided shelter for 35 evacuees in their residence in San Esteban, Nabua. “With rains pouring continuously overnight, our second floor was almost reached by the flood. We prayed the rosary daily for safety, and shared our limited food and water for 4 days,” he further wrote.

Occiano also shared that he was able to bless the remains of a deceased person who was retrieved at the back of their house in the wake of the typhoon. In closing, he said, “God has a purpose why I was stranded. I was so worried for Catanduanes but I found myself in Camarines Sur, which suffered more. But, bayanihan and a deep faith made us survive. I continue to pray for those still suffering from this calamity.”

Spaces of Hope

During the course and in the aftermath of typhoon Kristine, several churches in the Bicol Dioceses opened their doors to evacuees. In the Archdiocese of Caceres alone, about 30 parishes (nearly a third of the total number of parishes in the Archdiocese) provided shelter and food to those affected by the typhoon. These parishes and institutions include the Basilica Minore de Peñafrancia, Our Lady of Peñafrancia Parish (Naga City), Immaculate Conception Parish (Naga City and Calabanga), St. Jude Thaddeus Parish (Naga City and Iriga City), St. Rose of Lima Parish (Pili), St. Mary Magdalene Parish (Bula), St. Bartholomew Parish (Baao), St. Anthony of Padua Parish (Siruma), Sta. Rafaela Maria School, Holy Rosary Major Seminary, and the Ateneo de Naga University. The Daughters of Mary, Mother of the Church Institute also provided food to those affected by the typhoon despite their Generalate House in Naga City being flooded. In addition, the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Naga City were among the many first responders providing food and relief goods in the wake of the typhoon.

In the Diocese of Legazpi, the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Great, the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Salvation, Our Lady of Fatima Parish, St. Padre Pio Parish, St. Jude Thaddeus Parish, St. Roch Parish, and the Redemptorist Mission Community were among the many parishes, institutions and communities that opened their doors as evacuation sites. St. Roch Parish also conducted an outreach to Balugo Parish in Oas in the aftermath of typhoon Kristine. According to the latest situational report of the Social Action Center of the said Diocese, a total of 123,647 families across the province of Albay are currently affected by the typhoon. 5 municipalities were identified with the greatest displacement. These are Daraga, Guinobatan, Libon, Oas, and Legazpi City. Several barangays remain evacuation sites, although other centers have started decampment. The Diocese also listed infrastructure, agriculture and transportation as industries severely affected by the typhoon.

In the Diocese of Daet, evacuation centers included St. Francis Parochial School, La Consolacion College and the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria in Paracale.

Last Saturday, October 26, Metropolitan Caceres Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon issued a pastoral directive for the Clergy of Caceres. Alarcon drew inspiration from the Holy Father’s latest encyclical Dilexit Nos. Quoting Pope Francis, he wrote, “Mission is experienced in fellowship with our communities and with the whole Church”. Hence, the Caceres prelate encouraged to create spaces of hope -places where shelter can be sought and help be given- and exhorted to strengthen the response team (PADRE Team) as he is anticipating similar situations like this in the future due to climate change. Caritas Caceres as of Monday, October 28, was able to distribute relief goods to 18 parishes. In addition, a medical mission organized by the Siervas de Maria Ministras de los Enfermos sisters from Lagonoy, Camarines Sur and Phileos-Spain was also held at the Legaspi Hall of the Basilica Minore de Peñafrancia last Monday, October 28.

Environmental Stewardship

According to Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon, the massive flood brought about by typhoon Kristine “is the worst flooding [they] have experienced in Albay in the last 30 years”. Moreover, he said that it cannot be denied that this is also an effect of the destruction of nature due to quarrying and road constructions that displace trees and loss of the proper environment where trees can freely grow and root themselves in, so they can be sturdy, stable and firmly planted even during heavy rain. The prelate exhorted, “Let us not forget that the cry of the Earth is intertwined with the cry of the poor, the vulnerable and those marginalized by society. By neglecting the cry of the Earth, we prolong the suffering of our brethren. We will be responsible before God.”

Being responsible for nature was also advocated by Fr. Wilmer Joseph Tria, who explained that the “construction of irrigation canals and the reclaiming of riverbanks by villagers” were factors that contributed to the massive flooding recently experienced in Naga City and nearby towns. Tria also emphasized, “We need to rediscover the purpose of rivers and lakes, recover their natural design and preserve and optimize them so that we have enough water during dry season and avoid inundation of villages during rainy days.”

Caceres Archbishop Rex Andrew C. Alarcon presided the clergy meeting of the Archdiocese gathered at St. John Marie Vianney Parish in San Ramon, Iriga for their regular monthly clergy assembly. This month’s gathering was peculiar since a meaningful amount of time was devoted to regrouping, recollecting of thoughts and experiences and recharging their tired body and souls after Typhoon Kristine. (Text and photo : Archdiocese of Caceres FB)