Yolanda anniversary: Light a candle on November 8

MANILA, Philippines —Survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in Tacloban City are lighting candles on November 8 to remember the dead and celebrate life. They’re hoping others will light a candle with them. 

Dubbed as the “Haiyan Candlelight Memorial,” the vigil is organized by the civic group “One Tacloban” and local media organization “CatNetwork.” It is a sequel to the same memorial held in December last year, 40 days after Yolanda swept the Eastern Visayas. November 8, 2014 marks the first year anniversary of the devastating typhoon that battered central Visayas.

Everyone is welcome to join the event, according to CatNetwork’s Facebook page. Various local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations have already pledged their support. Some of the participating NGOs include World Vision, Catholic Relief Services, IOM OXFAM, Save the Children, Plan Philippines, and Action Against Hunger.

The candle line assembly begins at 4:30 pm, and the lighting of candles at 6:30 pm. Approximately 50,000 residents are expected to join the 47-kilometer route stretching across Tacloban. “The memorial is a moment of reflection that provides opportunity for residents to reaffirm commitment not only to their chosen faiths, but also to each other,” the CatNetwork said.

The candle line begins at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in San Jose, passing through the main highway to the Coca-Cola Interchange, Old Road Sangkahan, Magallanes towards the downtown area, all the way to Nula Tula to the North. It will also include the new Kawayan resettlement villages.

Lighting the way

“The Filipino spirit is admirable. After a typhoon comes and impact towns, the focus is on moving forward,” said World Vision’s Response Director Andrew Rosauer.

“This one-year commemoration is a time to honor those who perished during the typhoon. Looking forward, it is likewise the best time to remember the lessons we have learned because of it,” he added.

World Vision produced a video to commemorate those whose lives were lost to Yolanda:

The UN-OCHA, Food and Agriculture Organization, UNDP, and ILO will also be there, together with the City Government of Tacloban, and representatives from the private sector and government agencies such as the Philippine Ports Authority,  National Irrigation Administration, National Housing Authority, Department of Agriculture, Philippine Red Cross, and TESDA.

Participants are encouraged to post their own gatherings on the Memorial’s official Facebook page.

“Gather together and light your own candles. Be part of this historic event,” the CatNetwork said on Facebook. The nationwide vigil will also be livestreamed. 

One year has passed. Lives were lost, properties were destroyed, but lessons were also learned. But the survivors of Yolanda are standing strong.

Show your support. Light a candle on November 8.  — Rappler.com

For more information, you may follow @cat8tacloban at Twitter. Or contact them through cat8_tv@yahoo.com, (053) 832-7732, or 0915-5972653. Look for Ms. Mary Fe Florendo.

For Rappler’s full coverage of the 1st anniversary of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), go to this page.