Tacloban moves on with fiesta celebration

TACLOBAN celebrates its 125th annual fiesta on Monday, close to eight months after it was devastated by Supertyphoon “Yolanda.” Participants join the city-sponsored Sangyaw Festival giving honor and homage to the city’s patron, Señor Santo Niño. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines—Devastated by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” more than seven months ago, this city marked its annual fiesta on Monday to honor its patron, Sto. Niño de Tacloban, for giving them a new lease on life.

And it is just right, said Marites Magno, 26, a typhoon survivor who stays with her husband, Joey, 29, and three children in a makeshift shelter at Rizal Park.

In front of the park is the Sto. Niño Church, which was seriously damaged and whose roof was almost completely blown off when Yolanda struck on Nov. 8, 2013.

“While we are still living under this condition, it is just right to celebrate our fiesta not only with a Mass but even with a parade honoring our Señor Sto. Niño,” Magno said.

“He allowed us to survive from the devastation of Yolanda and this is more than enough for us to celebrate and observe our fiesta,” she added.

Her family and nine others staying in the makeshift shelter heard the three-hour Pontifical Mass presided by Archbishop John Du of the Archdiocese of Palo in Leyte province.

Priests from other dioceses in the region, local officials, residents and visitors also attended the Mass.

Du said the people of the city and the rest of Eastern Visayas should be thankful to the Holy Child for having survived the typhoon.

The fiesta celebration was not only a celebration of renewing one’s faith to God but also appeared to be a sign that “Tacloban has started to rise again,” he added.

“But always remember that only the love of God will make this happen,” the prelate said in his homily.

“After the typhoon, God is giving us a challenge … but it is for us to rebuild from within and not from the outside,” he said. The time for dole-outs is over and rebuilding one’s life should be one’s concern, he added.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development continues to provide food assistance to survivors, especially those living in tents and bunk houses. In Tacloban alone, close to 4,000 families live in tents and bunk houses.

Du asked the faithful to pray for the more than 2,000 people who died during the onslaught of Yolanda in Tacloban. The city is celebrating its 125th fiesta this year.

On the eve of the celebration, the city-sponsored Sangyaw Festival drew more than 500 participants, some of them coming from international humanitarian groups.

Andrew Geoffrey Martin, sub-office deputy of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the fiesta celebration was a testament that the city of more than 220,000 people was slowly recovering.

“It shows the resiliency of the people. I’ve seen lots of disasters across the world, (but) you have the greatest achievement (in terms of recovery) … This (celebration) is part of the process of moving forward,” Martin said.

Jenny Manibay, city administrator, described the event as a “thanksgiving of life.”

But we will never forget what happened to us seven months ago,” she stressed.

Go Tec Ching, president of the Tacloban Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the celebration was proof that Tacloban was on its way to recovery. “I hope this will be sustained for the good of our people,” he said.