Yolanda’s 4th anniversary
TACLOBAN CITY – Spiritual activities and environmental protection should be highlighted during the yearly commemoration of the onslaught of super typhoon ‘Yolanda.’
And in doing so, it is just fitting to put up the icons of St. Medard along the coasts in areas that suffered devastations due to Yolanda that pummeled the province on November 8, 2013.
Thus said Leyte Vice Governor Carlo Loreto who disclosed that a group of divers will be coming to the province next week to identify particular areas where the icons of the saint would be placed.
But initially, the plan is to ‘submerge’ the icons in areas where storm surges occurred. The storm surge was blamed as the cause for the deaths of thousands of people when Yolanda devastated Leyte and some parts of the region.
“The yearly commemoration of the Yolanda devastation should have more meaning(and) impact by taking care of our environment and strengthen our spiritual faith,” Loreto said.
Thus, the plan to put the images of Saint Medard of Noyon considered as the patron saint against bad storms.
“Divers are due to come next week to pinpoint a good location for these (icons),” Loreto disclosed.
Scientists were one in saying that Yolanda was a result of climate change, blame mainly to man’s abuses to the environment.
St. Medard of Noyon, France is a sixth-century bishop considered as the patron saint for protection from bad storms. Legend has it that as a child, he was once sheltered from the rain by an eagle hovering over him.
Proposed areas for the project are Palo, Tanauan, Tolosa and other areas which were devastated by the world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland.
However, for Tanauan town, the plan is for the icon be placed at one of its junctions facing the sea, Loreto said.
Loreto added that while many natural disasters are unavoidable such as Yolanda, some are linked to human activities which direct a connection towards environmental stewardship.
He said catastrophic natural disasters continue to occur nowadays and these devastating events always take their toll on human life, whether through immediate devastation and destruction or through their crippling impact on food production and ecological systems.
In the long run, these areas where the icons of St. Medard will be placed can be promoted for pilgrimage tourism, it was learned. (AHLETTE C.REYES)
