Lighted candles for the dead and the living

TWO YEARS AFTER STORM Children join the candlelighting event to commemorate the second anniversary of the Supertyphoon “Yolanda” tragedy in Tacloban City. PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY REGIONAL OFFICE/CONTRIBUTOR

TACLOBAN CITY—Neighbors Carmelita Labanan and Roger Loterio left their houses in Barangay 86 in San Jose district here to light candles—for different reasons—in the street on Sunday.

Labanan, 53, said the candle was for her mother, Anastinia Moreno, and stepfather, Zacarias, both 79, who were killed during the storm surge generated by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) two years ago.

“Wherever they are now, I am praying for the eternal repose of their souls,” she said.

The body of her stepfather was recovered three days after the typhoon onslaught; that of her mother was found 42 days later.

Loterio’s candle was for thanksgiving that his family survived the world’s strongest storm to make landfall in recent history.

“We lost everything. Our house was totally washed out, but what was important was we all survived from Yolanda and this is more than enough to show our gratitude to the Lord and say thank you,” said the 47-year-old father to five children.

Official records disclosed that about 2,300 people from Tacloban were killed and 600 others missing due to Yolanda.

On Sunday, at least 50,000 lighted candles lined up the 24-kilometer stretch from Tacloban to the towns of Palo, Tanauan and Tolosa. These candles were earlier blessed by priests.

After the 6 p.m. Mass at Santo Niño Church, thousands of people gathered in the streets to light the candles and prayed silently for their dead or to thank God for sparing their families. Even those who are not from Tacloban came to join the ceremony largely initiated by the parishes in areas hard-hit by Yolanda.

Candles also flickered in the mass graves in Palo’s Barangay San Joaquin and Tanauan’s Barangay Calogcog, and at the town center.

Derlyn Aguillon, who is from Tabon-Tabon town in Leyte province, lighted two candles for her two departed friends.

“I offered prayers for them that they are now at peace,” she said.

Aguillon said she was also thankful that her town was spared from Yolanda. “From here, my niece and I will go somewhere to celebrate our rebirth,” she said.