In Catbalogan, Christmas lights offer hope to residents under quarantine

BRIGHT LIGHTS Residents of Catbalogan City display their Christmas lights to brighten and cheer their communities amid the gloom brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Christmas may be eight months away but residents of Catbalogan City in Samar province have adorned their houses with Christmas lights to lift their spirits while under quarantine due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Most houses in the city’s 57 villages have put up the colorful lights starting April 11 in response to the call of the St. Bartholomew Parish church. The lights symbolize hope that the darkness that has enveloped the world due to COVID-19 will soon end, according to the parish statement.Overwhelmed

The church, however, preferred to call these “Easter lights,” in reference to the Christians’ celebration of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, which are switched on from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., when people are still awake and to ensure that any accidental fire would be avoided. The lights will illuminate the villages until the enhanced community quarantine is lifted.

One resident of Barangay Poblacion, Myra Tambo, said she was overwhelmed and became emotional when she retrieved her Christmas lights and installed these outside her house.

Empty streets

“I was touched when I saw the Christmas lights again. We have a 24-hour curfew and we, Catbaloganons, are very sociable persons. We love being on the streets and being on the go,” she said.

After the quarantine was imposed on April 2, Tambo said her village had turned into a “ghost town” because of the empty streets.

“These Easter lights bring back some kind of that Christmas feelings of faith, hope and love,” she said.

Surviving crisis

Mayor Dexter Uy supported the church initiative, saying it was heartwarming to see that the residents were one in believing that they would prevail over this crisis.

“Indeed, ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,’” Uy posted on Facebook.