MANILA, Philippines — The 446-year-old St. Francis de Assisi Parish Church in Meycauayan City, Bulacan, was not spared from the onslaught of Typhoon Carina and submerged in chest-high floodwaters on Wednesday, causing damage to pews and religious images.
The church built in 1578 is one of the oldest in Bulacan and has weathered past calamities.
Not even Typhoon Ondoy in 2009 brought that much floodwater inside the church, according to church authorities.
The flooded St. Francis de Assisi Parish Church in Meycauayan City, Bulacan (Fr.Patrick Gumasing/Parokya ng San Francisco ng Assisi – Meycauayan)
“Hindi gano’n kalaki ‘yong taas ng baha no’ng Ondoy. Ito na ‘yong pinakamalaki sa history ng simbahan,” said Sacristan Mayor Armando Berroya in an interview with INQUIRER.net.
(The floodwater from Typhoon Ondoy was not that massive. The church never had this kind in its history.)
Berroya recalled that as early as 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the floodwater had already reached chest level inside the church, while the floodwater around the patio area outside the church was neck-high.
(Photo courtesy of Kenneth Guban and Armando Berroya/St. Francis de Assisi Parish Church – Meycauayan)
While floodwater subsided inside the church on Thursday, the typhoon’s fury was evident in the damaged pews, religious statues, and other church properties.
One of these is the cracked statue of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
The church was undergoing renovations when the flood struck.
(Photo courtesy of Kenneth Guban and Armando Berroya/St. Francis de Assisi Parish Church – Meycauayan)
According to Berroya, they will meet with the city mayor on Friday to discuss plans for the church’s operations.
“Wala munang misa hangga’t hindi humuhupa ang baha,” Berroya added.
(There will still be no mass until the floodwater subsides.)
Bulacan was placed under a state of calamity due to the effects of Carina and the typhoon-enhanced southwest monsoon, or “habagat.”
The hardest hits were Obando, Baliwag, Plaridel, Pulilan, and Sta. Maria.
In a Palace briefing on Wednesday, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. reported that Central Luzon was among the most affected regions.
As Carina further weakened and exited the Philippine area of responsibility on Thursday morning, cloudy and rainy Friday is expected in Luzon, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration
(Photos from Kenneth Guban and Armando Berroya/St. Francis de Assisi Parish Church – Meycauayan)