Gawad Kalinga Turns Over 70 Houses To Pinut-an Beneficiaries And Limasawa Island Celebrates Its 488th First Catholic Mass In The Philippines

ly 29,2009

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Gawad Kalinga Turns Over 70 Houses To Pinut-an Beneficiaries By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr Maasin City, Southern Leyte-.The Gawad Kalinga has turned over 70 housing units recently to beneficiaries of brgy. Pinut-an, San Ricardo here in this province who were victims of the traumatic tragedy at about 9:00p.m.on Dec. 19, 2003 in Panaon lsland’s massive landslides. The catastrophe which also badly hit the municipalities of Liloan and San Francisco had left many people buried alive and destroyed many houses leaving thousands of the inhabitants homeless. Dr. Jerome Paler, Provincial GK Coordinator, disclosed that the aforesaid 70 duplex-type houses worth P60,000.00 each were a joint efforts from three donors, like the Dioceses of Maasin which donated P1M, the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) also P1M and P1.8M from the Canadian organization called A Network of Church of the Poor (ANCOP) with the total amount of P4, 200,000.00.Gawad Kalinga, it was learned, was the implementing arm in the realization of the housing projects until its completion. Paler informed that the project has started its construction works in March 2008 and were completed in Dec.2008.He said the workers of the project were the beneficiaries themselves. They conducted their works on shifting schedules as their counterpart labor for owning their respective dwellings. Paler said that foods for work were provided also by the DSWD office to the landslide victims-beneficiaries during the 10-month duration of the construction works. The newly-established village has a water system and electricity. More than 2 years after the massive landslides, numerous victims-survivors of the tragedy in the municipalities of Liloan and San Francisco were already having their own houses provided by various local and foreign donors. Pintuyan was later attended to by other domestic and international donors mostly from the humanitarian institutions. The donated houses named after the donors located in various construction sites, have also installed water systems and electricity installed by SOLECO.It bore the names, among others, like GMA Village, PNOC Village, Red Cross Village, Gawad Kalinga Village, Aboitez Village, Habitat For Humanity Village. Akin to the latest finished housing units, these aforementioned houses were also built by the beneficiaries with the help of many volunteer workers from different private and government agencies in Southern Leyte including that from Cebu and other parts of the Leyte Island. Donors, among others, were the Australian government, Japanese government,USA, Canada,GMA,ABS-CBN,PNOC,NPC,Aboitez Foundation, International Red Cross, religious institutions,Germany,Taiwan,Fil-Americans,private institutions, Manila Bulletin,Philstar,Philippine Daily Inquirer, Habitat For Humanity,Gawad Kalinga,Buddhist International. Housing sites development like road constructions and drainage systems were carried out by the DPWH Engineers and some Engineers from other government departments. Private lots for the housing units were either donated by the owners or were bought in cheaper prices by the provincial government. Earlier, a mass was conducted and officiated by Bishop Precioso Cantillas and was assisted by some priests. It was attended by the recipients, some Couples For Christ members, barangay officials and some folks in the barrio and the neighboring barangays. Pinut-an Barangay Captain Flory Anajao speaking in behalf of the constituentsbeneficiaries expressed his profuse thankfulness and gratitude to the Gawad Kalinga officials and the 3 aforementioned donors for granting them free dwellings which they can call their own.

The affair was also attended by some DSWD personnel led by DSWD Regional Director Leticia Corollo. (Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.) Limasawa Island Celebrates Its 488th First Catholic Mass In The Philippines By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr. Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte-Limasawa Island, through the Diocese of Maasin led by Bishop Precioso Cantillas together with about 60 parish priests, has celebrated the 488th First Catholic Mass in the Philippines last March 31, 2009 atop a hill where a big cross was erected and a chapel was constructed here in this tadpoleshape island. This kind of celebration was competed and contested during the past several years by other claimer Masao near Butuan City in Mindanao as the site also of the First Catholic Mass, it was learned. However, based on Pigafetta’s diary, the chronicler of Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage around the world, the description of an island reportedly fits to that of Limasawa, but not to Masao.In the past, there were Spanish artifacts unearthed and found in Limasawa Island. While such kind of artifacts were also seen in Masao’s museum, according to unofficial reports. Nevertheless, the weight of the argument lies on the right place where Magellan and his men landed to also look for food. The aforesaid controversy was settled many years ago when a law RA2733 was passed in Congress officially declaring Limasawa Island as the site of the First Catholic Mass in the Philippines and as the National Shrine. Prior to the celebration of the Firs Catholic Mass, Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr., the keynote speaker was introduced by incumbent Governor Damian Mercado. The Governor mentioned some of the guest speaker’s different positions in both the government and the private sector. Like being the Governor of the province of Cavite at the age of 28 and later on as a Senator passing many beneficial bills approved into laws. Mercado also cited various citations and awards by the actor-turned-politician in the local and international scene. The actor-turned senator was warmly welcome by the islanders and many rushed closer to him including the visitors to shake his hands. Revilla in his short speech expressed his thankfulness to the invitation as he also wants to see the situation of the people in Limasawa Island. He said that unity is one of the ingredients needed in the development of any community. He also encouraged the inhabitants here to develop more the place as one of the tourist attractions of the country and invite local and foreign tourists as well to come to the idyllic island. The guest speaker also expressed his willingness to extend financial assistance for infrastructure in the island with a counterpart from his colleague in Congress in the person of Congressman Roger Mercado. Other speakers were Governor Mercado, Congressman Mercado, Vice-Governor Miguel Maamo,11 and Limasawa Mayor Melchor Petracorta.After the Catholic Mass, Revilla and party flown to Cebu City aboard a helicopter that landed at the school’s playground for another speaking engagement on the same day before proceeding to Manila. Sinugdan (The Beginning) Festival After the mass held at the hilltop chapel where a big cross was believed to be erected by Magellan’s men right after the very first Catholic Mass (as narrated by the historian), the so-called Sinugdan Festival followed. Six groups of dancers by 21-member for each group representing the 6 barangays of the island have entertained the visitors coming from various places here in region 8(Leyte and Samar) with their kind of dancing-style presentations. Each group has a Muse which added more attraction during the dancing period to the delight of the crowd. The

excruciating heat of the noonday sun did not deter the performers’ enthusiasm as they danced with gusto coupled with the glimmering reflection of sweats oozing from their bodies. A few meters away from the playground venue is another small chapel that housed a big cross, the life-size statues of Ferdinand Magellan, Pigafetta, priest Pdreo de Valderrama. There were also paintings of Magellan’s ships and his men and the holding of the First Catholic Mass in the Philippines. A short historic account engraved on a marker placed at the right side of the chapel’s entrance door is worth a quoting: “First Mass: Celebrated here on Eastern Sundayi,31 March 1521, when Magellan landed on this island of Limasawa on his voyage around the world. Early in the morning Magellan sent ashore priest Pedro de Valderrama with men to prepare a Mass and inform Rajah Kolambu, through an interpreter, that he and his men would land to attend. The Rajah showed consent by sending gifts. As Magellan and his men approached the shore, a salvo of six guns was fired as a sign of peace. Rajahs Kolambu and Si-agu each embraced Magellan, flanked him and together with the sailors, they marched to the place of worship. During the Mass the Rajahs were on their knees with clasped hands. At the elevation, the ships fired all their artillery in response to the musket signal from the shore.” Other activities in connection with the three-day anniversary celebration were: a)Sailboat race,b)9-man boat paddling)Marathon)Bancarrera Also present, among others, were SOLERT,some other Govt. Officials and employees, heads of line agencies, some municipal mayors, SBs and SPs members,ABC President Nacional “Nikko” Mercado,Karina Tiopes,Regional Tourism Director;PhilHealth personnel led by Dr,Elizabeth S. Fernandez, new PNP Regional Director General Mario San Diego;PNP Provincial Officers led by Nilo Donayre; Region 8 Philippine Army Commander led by Maj. General Arturo Tabaquero; former SP member Helen Fernandez-Yusingco,ABS-CBN, Action Channel, region 8’s print and broadcast media. The island municipality that can be encircled thru sea travel by a motorized boat for less than an hour on calm sea, has only 6 barangays,namely,Triana, Cabulihan, San Agustin,San Bernardo,Lugsungan and Magallanes,the very place where Magellan and his men had set foot. Majority of the visitors, government officials and employees, the press and other attendees were brought to the island by a service navy boat M/V Batangas that left at 6:00 a.m. at Maasin Pier on March 31, 2009. Other visitors and officials who came late at the pier went to the island via a 45-minute non-stop drive to Padre Burgos where they took a less than an hour ride on motorized boats to Limasawa Island.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.).