The Catholic bishops of the Philippines expressed their condolences to the families of the victims of typhoon “Jolina” that devastated some areas in the central part of the country this week.
The bishops noted that the typhoon “destroyed homes, opened economic deficiencies, left people missing, and unfortunately, declared a number of victims as deceased.”
“On behalf of the bishops of the Philippines, I offer my condolences to those bereaved,” read the bishops’ statement signed by Archbishop Romulo Valles, president of the bishops’ conference.
“May the souls of those who died be looked upon by God with mercy and compassion,” added the prelate.
“As one Church, I invite all of you to pray for our fellow Filipinos who were affected by the typhoon so that they may feel hope amidst their suffering,” said Archbishop Valles.
The bishops also urged the Filipino faithful to “continue to strive under the hardship dictated by the pandemic” and to open their hearts “to look upon our neighbors who are in a great need.”
Earlier, the dioceses in the province of Samar in the central Philippines appealed for help after several areas were badly hit by the typhoon.
Father James Abella, social action director of the Diocese of Borongan, said people were surprised with the intensity of the typhoon.
“The transition was fast, from tropical depression, tropical storm, severe tropical typhoon, into typhoon, all on the same day,” he said in an interview with Veritas 846 on Friday, September 10.
The priest said several houses were destroyed, especially those who are still staying in temporary shelters.
“There were churches and chapels that were also affected, but we are thankful that there were no casualties,” said Father Abella.
In the Diocese of Calbayog, there was a landslide in a village in the city of Catbalogan while two island parishes were affected and several motorboats were destroyed on Daram island.
The death toll in the aftermath of tropical storm “Jolina” climbed to 14, according to the disaster management agency in Manila.
The agency also said that five of the 12 missing fishermen in Catbalogan, Samar, were rescued while three more fishermen were reported missing in Culuba, Biliran.
Meanwhile, 20 individuals were reported injured, according to the agency.
It also said at least 28,400 families or 109,680 persons have been affected by the heavy rains and strong winds of Jolina.
The weather disturbance also damaged 6,423 houses in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Regions 5, 6, and Eastern Visayas—301 of which were totally destroyed, the report said.
