Caritas Philippines grateful to Pope Francis for his solidarity towards earthquake
victims
Manila, October 22, 2013: "We are very grateful to our beloved Pope Francis for the
prayers, the closeness and solidarity he expressed to the people affected by the earthquake
in the Philippines," Fr Edwin A. Gariguez told AsiaNews. The clergyman is the executive
secretary of the National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (NASSA)
of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), a leading player in
relief efforts on behalf of earthquake victims.
On 15 October, a powerful
magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit the central Philippines (Central Visayas). About 186
have been killed so far but that number could top 200. Many buildings suffered serious
damage, including many old churches dating back to the Spanish colonial era that are
part of the country's most important architectural heritage.
The death toll
from the powerful earthquake that jolted Central Visayas last week include 173 people
in Bohol, 12 in Cebu and one in Siquijor, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Monday.
The deadly earthquake affected
more than three million people in eight cities and 52 towns. Damages are estimated
at P 867.24 million (US$ 18.5 million), including 39 bridges, 18 main roads and 45,641
houses.
In Cebu, the provincial government issued a statement that rumours
about a pending magnitude 8 earthquake are not true. On its official Facebook page,
provincial authorities warned residents to ignore baseless rumours that could cause
panic, urging them instead to remain alert because of the continuing aftershocks.
Since the main quake struck, some 2,000 tremors have been recorded so far.
Speaking
to AsiaNews, NASSA executive secretary Fr Gariguez, who is also coordinator for relief
operations, expressed gratitude towards Pope Francis, who after yesterday's Angelus
expressed his "closeness to the people of the Philippines", and called on believers
"to pray for that dear nation, which has recently undergone several disasters."
"His
words of concern and solidarity," the priest said, "encourage us to work together
even more in order to help those in need." In this respect, he added, "the pope's
words are of great help and inspiration."
In fact, in co-operation with Caritas
Internationalis, scores of Catholic volunteers have been involved in emergency work.
In parallel, a campaign has been underway through the country's dioceses to collect
aid to help residents get back to a normal life. (DS) (Source: AsiaNews)