At least three Catholic bishops this week reiterated calls for help for people affected by the recent flooding in Mindanao and other parts of the country.
“Please know that we are close to you and we will do whatever is in power so that we can make concrete actions to that closeness,” said Bishop Rex Andrew Alarcon of Daet in a radio interview.
He urged the Catholic faithful to “share the love of the Lord by making concrete acts,” adding that, “one concrete act of goodness is worth more than a thousand promises.”
Bishop Honesto Ongtioco of Cubao, meanwhile, stressed the importance of solidarity with victims of calamities, saying that everyone are children of God and should help each other.
Bishop Crispin Varquez of Borongan prayed that everyone will be able to return to their lives after the tragedy.
“Let us pray that they will not lose hope and that we extend more help to them,” said Bishop Varquez over Radio Veritas 846.
A total of 681,492 people or 170,970 families were affected in 1,132 villages in Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Caraga, and Bangsamoro Region.
Most of them were from Caraga with 234,108 individuals or 59,739 families affected.
There were also 23,536 displaced people or 6,635 families remaining in 163 evacuation centers, while 41,214 displaced people or 10,972 families were staying outside of evacuation centers.
