MANILA, Philippines – Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle requested a special collection during Masses on Sunday, March 22, for the “very poor island nation” of Vanuatu, which, like the Philippines, was devastated by a monster storm. 

Cyclone Pam ravaged Vanuatu on March 13, thrusting the country in a “much more difficult logistical problem” than the one the Philippines faced after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November 2013.

In a letter on Tuesday, March 17, Tagle wrote: “In the spirit of Christian solidarity with and charity for our brothers and sisters affected by the cyclone that hit in Vanuatu, a very poor island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean, last weekend, may I request that the usual second collection taken up for Alay Kapwa this Sunday, March 22, the 5th Sunday of Lent, be sent to Vanuatu.”

Alay Kapwa – which, roughly translated, means “offering to one’s neighbor” – is the Catholic Church’s fundraising program for Lent, a 40-day penitential season that leads to Holy Week, which commemorates the passion and death of Jesus Christ.

In encouraging Filipinos to help Vanuatu, Tagle cited Yolanda, which killed at least 6,300 people and prompted Pope Francis to visit the Southeast Asian country.

“May I ask that you announce this to the people so they could be responsive in the way the international community was helpful to us during typhoon Yolanda,” Tagle said in his letter to priests in the Archdiocese of Manila.

He told priests to “immediately remit all collections to the Treasury and Accounting Department of Arzobispado de Manila or to Caritas Manila.” 

“Please also encourage our people to be more generous in the remaining Alay Kapwa Sunday collections because the funds collected will be contributed to national and international charities,” he added.

No aid from Philippines? 

The Philippine government, on the other hand, has not widely publicized any donation to Vanuatu.

On Wednesday, March 18, Rappler e-mailed the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to ask if the Philippines is sending aid to Vanuatu, or if the country has sent a message of solidarity.

The DFA has not replied to our e-mail as of posting time. 

The Philippines received at least P17.23 billion ($386.08 million) in foreign aid after Yolanda, according to data from the Philippine government.

The Vanuatu government, on the other hand, has hit out at aid groups over a lack of coordination which it said cost precious time getting help to those in need.

The scathing comments came as Vanuatu Agriculture Minister David Tosul warned that the struggling subsistence-based country would run out of food in less than a week, pleading for rice, biscuits, seeds, tinned protein, and cash to help ship them in. (READ: Villagers hungry as cyclone destroys Vanuatu crops)

On the death toll, the Vanuatu government and aid groups give conflicting figures. The government confirmed Wednesday that at least 7 people died because of the cyclone, while the United Nations has put the toll at 11 as of Friday. 

Oxfam country director Colin Collett van Rooyen estimated that there “are more than 100,000 people likely homeless.”

Aid continues to flood in with a British military aircraft joining the effort along with a French frigate and helicopters, working alongside Australia and New Zealand.

The United Nations said China had offered tents, food, generators, and other supplies, while Japan and Singapore had also mobilized support.

Vanuatu is no stranger to cyclones, which are common in the South Pacific, but locals said Pam felt worse than Cyclone Uma in 1987, which killed 30 people. – With reports from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com