Amidst a small pool of water, Father Ricardo Vertudazzo celebrates the Christmas mass with a few dozen faithful who wish for this year’s feast a place and food… and a beautiful weather. More than a week after a hurricane hit the archipelago on December 16, killing about 400 people and displacing hundreds of thousands, the survivors are clinging to their families and their faith, especially after the collapse of their homes and the cancellation of celebrations.
“The important thing is that we are all safe,” said Joy Barrera, who came to attend the Eid mass with her husband at the Church of St. Isidro Labrador in the city of Alegria, in the far north of Mindanao. Light rain wet the seats and the floor of the church, whose roof was cut by a hurricane.
Families usually gather around a feast to mark Christmas in the predominantly Catholic Philippines. However, the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Ray in the south and center of the country reflected negatively on the celebrations, while many survivors are seeking help to obtain drinking water and food. For this Christmas, Nardel Vicente, 38, wants help buying a new roof for his hurricane-ravaged Alegria home.
“We will be satisfied with pasta this year and we will dispense with all other foods because it is very expensive,” reveals 53-year-old Mariitis Sotis, who lives in the coastal region of Plassir, where the storm destroyed most of the coconut trees that make up the family’s livelihood.
Amidst a small pool of water, Father Ricardo Vertudazzo celebrates the Christmas mass with a few dozen faithful who wish for this year’s feast a place and food… and a beautiful weather. More than a week after a hurricane hit the archipelago on December 16, killing about 400 people and displacing hundreds of thousands, the survivors are clinging to their families and their faith, especially after the collapse of their homes and the cancellation of celebrations.
“The important thing is that we are all safe,” said Joy Barrera, who came to attend the Eid mass with her husband at the Church of St. Isidro Labrador in the city of Alegria, in the far north of Mindanao. Light rain wet the seats and the floor of the church, whose roof was cut by a hurricane.
Families usually gather around a feast to mark Christmas in the predominantly Catholic Philippines. However, the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Ray in the south and center of the country reflected negatively on the celebrations, while many survivors are seeking help to obtain drinking water and food. For this Christmas, Nardel Vicente, 38, wants help buying a new roof for his hurricane-ravaged Alegria home.
“We will be satisfied with pasta this year and we will dispense with all other foods because it is very expensive,” reveals 53-year-old Mariitis Sotis, who lives in the coastal region of Plassir, where the storm destroyed most of the coconut trees that make up the family’s livelihood.
Amidst a small pool of water, Father Ricardo Vertudazzo celebrates the Christmas mass with a few dozen faithful who wish for this year’s feast a place and food… and a beautiful weather. More than a week after a hurricane hit the archipelago on December 16, killing about 400 people and displacing hundreds of thousands, the survivors are clinging to their families and their faith, especially after the collapse of their homes and the cancellation of celebrations.
“The important thing is that we are all safe,” said Joy Barrera, who came to attend the Eid mass with her husband at the Church of St. Isidro Labrador in the city of Alegria, in the far north of Mindanao. Light rain wet the seats and the floor of the church, whose roof was cut by a hurricane.
Families usually gather around a feast to mark Christmas in the predominantly Catholic Philippines. However, the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Ray in the south and center of the country reflected negatively on the celebrations, while many survivors are seeking help to obtain drinking water and food. For this Christmas, Nardel Vicente, 38, wants help buying a new roof for his hurricane-ravaged Alegria home.
“We will be satisfied with pasta this year and we will dispense with all other foods because it is very expensive,” reveals 53-year-old Mariitis Sotis, who lives in the coastal region of Plassir, where the storm destroyed most of the coconut trees that make up the family’s livelihood.
Amidst a small pool of water, Father Ricardo Vertudazzo celebrates the Christmas mass with a few dozen faithful who wish for this year’s feast a place and food… and a beautiful weather. More than a week after a hurricane hit the archipelago on December 16, killing about 400 people and displacing hundreds of thousands, the survivors are clinging to their families and their faith, especially after the collapse of their homes and the cancellation of celebrations.
“The important thing is that we are all safe,” said Joy Barrera, who came to attend the Eid mass with her husband at the Church of St. Isidro Labrador in the city of Alegria, in the far north of Mindanao. Light rain wet the seats and the floor of the church, whose roof was cut by a hurricane.
Families usually gather around a feast to mark Christmas in the predominantly Catholic Philippines. However, the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Ray in the south and center of the country reflected negatively on the celebrations, while many survivors are seeking help to obtain drinking water and food. For this Christmas, Nardel Vicente, 38, wants help buying a new roof for his hurricane-ravaged Alegria home.
“We will be satisfied with pasta this year and we will dispense with all other foods because it is very expensive,” reveals 53-year-old Mariitis Sotis, who lives in the coastal region of Plassir, where the storm destroyed most of the coconut trees that make up the family’s livelihood.