MikeLigalig.com

By TODD PITMAN, Associated Press | November 17, 2013 | Updated: November 17, 2013 4:13am



A Filipino man prays on a statue of Jesus Christ prior to a Mass at Santo Nino church, which was damaged by Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban, Philippines, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013. Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms on record, hit the country's eastern seaboard Nov. 8, leaving a wide swath of destruction. Photo By Dita Alangkara/AP


TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) — Hours after the storm hit, the Rev. Amadero Alvero was on the streets, sprinkling holy water over the dead and praying for them. By late afternoon, the 44-year-old priest had blessed about 50 corpses in the remains of this Philippine shattered city.

He then returned to his half-destroyed Santo Nino church and led Mass. On Sunday, Alvero was again overseeing worship at the peach-colored building, leading services for hundreds of survivors of one of the worst storms on record.

"Despite what happened, we still believe in God," he said. "The church may have been destroyed, but our faith is intact, as believers, as a people of God, our faith has not been destroyed."

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Aquino, who has faced a succession of crises over the last year, is facing criticism in some quarters over his administration's preparation for the typhoon, as well as its response.

Tacloban, a city of 220,000 people, was largely leveled by the Nov. 7 storm.

Alvero carried on his work until the fifth day, blessing bodies wherever they lay — in smashed cars or floating in water. He stopped when the smell became too much for him, though he said other priests have continued doing so.

Asked why would God allow a storm so powerful and so deadly to obliterate the region, claiming the lives of so many innocents and causing immense suffering, Alvero used an argument familiar to followers of the Abrahamic faiths.

"We are being tested by God, to see how strong our faith is, to see if our faith is true," he said. "He wants to know that we have faith in him in good times, as well as in bad."

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In Hong Kong, home to 133,000 Filipinos, volunteers outside one church were collecting food, medicine, blankets and clothing to send to the affected region. Most of Filipinos working in the city are low-paid domestic workers.

"We can't really afford to give much money, but we can help them by praying," said Jovie Tamayo, 32, from central Iloilo province. The roof of her family's house was ripped off in the storm, but her family members were uninjured.

Chelly Ogania said she had been unable to contact her mother and brothers on Samar Island, where the storm made landfall, though she had heard from friends that the village was safe.

"We pray that they are really safe, we pray always," said the 35-year-old. "That's all the things I can do, just pray and trust the Lord, because I'm very far from them. No communications, just praying, praying."

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