Aiding in flood relief efforts
27 Aug 2015

Aiding in flood relief efforts

by | posted in: Social Justice | 0

The fury and ferocity of floods becomes more amplified when one sees the situation first hand. The data, descriptions and dashboards of information fail to project the face of people and their experience at the ground level.  At the invitation of the Bishop of Kalay (Sagaing division – the place that took the brunt of floods), we visited Kalay.  As the plane descends (roads are still to be repaired) an eerie scenario unfolds. A vast expanse of clay mud covers hundreds of acres where there were once villages and flourishing farming communities. Only water now.

Reaching out to Myanmar after Cyclone Komen
5 Aug 2015

Reaching out to Myanmar after Cyclone Komen

by | posted in: Social Justice | 0

The landfall on July 30 of Cyclone Komen in Bangladesh brought strong winds and heavy rains to Myanmar, particularly to Rakhine and Chin States and Sagaing and Magway Regions in western Myanmar. More than one meter (40 inches) of rain that followed turned the floods into a major natural disaster. On August 3, the Ministry of Agriculture stated that 525,895 acres of farmland had been submerged. The Relief and Resettlement Department (RRD) of the Government of Myanmar put the number of deaths at 63 and displaced people at 200,000. But newspapers (e.g.

Increasing collaboration on disaster risk reduction and management
25 Mar 2015

Increasing collaboration on disaster risk reduction and management

by | posted in: JCAP News, Reconciliation with Creation, Social Justice | 0

The Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) is developing a protocol that outlines steps for Jesuits in responding to disasters in this part of the world. Responses to catastrophic events are collaborative in nature, joining local efforts and guiding important international support. This is an ongoing process with other organisations and there is much learning from the experiences of Jesuits on the ground. The effort is also to find ways to collaborate across different phases in disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) that demand a wider range of coordination beyond disaster.

Strengthening disaster preparedness and evacuation strategies in Payatas
23 Feb 2015

Strengthening disaster preparedness and evacuation strategies in Payatas

by | posted in: Reconciliation with Creation | 0

There is an increasing focus on disaster preparedness in the Philippines, although this is happening at different levels. The general public is learning how to use the available technologies for monitoring hazards and to understand the language used. Many communities are also focused on evacuation strategies and on identifying safe centres that can be used in the event of a disaster.

Continuing to hope
17 Dec 2014

Continuing to hope

by | posted in: Social Justice | 0

Although Typhoon Hagupit – known as Ruby in the Philippines – is reported to have taken   only a handful of lives, for thousands of people in the country, it was still a sort of repeat of Typhoon Haiyan, which had torn through the Philippines in November 2013, leaving more than 7,000 dead or missing.  “It’s déjà vu, but not the same as last year with Haiyan,” a Tacloban resident Mariano Tan Jr told the BBC.

God is with us
20 Dec 2013

God is with us

by | posted in: JCAP News | 0

As I prepared to write this Christmas greeting, our fifth floor of the East Asian Pastoral Institute where I live in Manila began to rock and sway.  The tremor lasted seconds, but it was enough to remind me that the Philippines not only receives 10 to 20 tropical storms a year, but also lies on the “Ring of Fire”, the Pacific Ocean’s volcano and earthquake belt.  This year, the Filipino people have once again experienced more than their share of earthquakes and typhoons.

Help Visayas
30 Oct 2013

Help Visayas

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A call has gone out for donations for the relief efforts for survivors of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck in Central Visayas earlier this month, affecting more than 3 million people.  The refrain, “Tabang Visayas” (Help Visayas), is being used by Jesuit work Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB) and Ateneo de Cebu as they work together to respond to cries for assistance from the affected communities in Bohol.  Donations will be used to provide for the immediate needs of the least and unreachable communities in the province of Bohol.

Helping survivors of Typhoon Pablo (Bopha)
27 Jan 2013

Helping survivors of Typhoon Pablo (Bopha)

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Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB), the socio-political arm of the Jesuits in the Philippines, and Ateneo de Davao University recently organized a relief and recovery programme for survivors of Typhoon Pablo, known internationally as Typhoon Bopha. Held on January 8 and 9, the relief programme, Task Force Noah: Pablo, served 1,000 affected families in Compostela Valley.  The team was also able to get support from the Tribal Council of each municipality.

Appeal for funds to help victims of Typhoon Washi
20 Dec 2011

Appeal for funds to help victims of Typhoon Washi

by | posted in: Reconciliation with Creation, Social Justice | 0

Xavier University is appealing for funds to help the victims of Typhoon Sendong (International Name: Tropical Storm Washi), which struck the southern Philippines on December 17, causing flash floods and landslides.

Typhoon Washi slammed ashore on Mindanao island in the dead of night, sending torrents of water and mud through riverside villages, drowning scores of people as they slept, and sweeping houses out to sea. Tens of thousands of people have been rendered homeless and many are now in evacuation centres.  As of December 20, the official death toll was close to 1,000.