UU Families in the Philippines Hit Hard by Typhoon Tino

Two massive typhoons that hit the Philippines in early November left a devastating path of destruction including hundreds of deaths.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines (UUCP) is responding to what is the worst natural disaster in its nearly seventy-year history. Though no UUs are reported to have died, eleven UU congregations and scores of UU families were seriously affected by the high winds and relentless rain from the typhoons, according to UUCP leadership. Some communities are still without safe drinking water, electricity, and passable roads and bridges to bring help.

Typhoon Tino, also known as Kalmaegi, which hit primarily on November 4, wreaked particular havoc on Negros Island, which is home to the UUCP’s national office and thirty-five of its congregations and fellowships.

“There was huge devastation in almost half of the island,” said Rev. Arman Pedro, the UUCP’s church administrator. “Many towns and cities were flooded, hundreds of families lost their homes, [some had] no electricity for a couple of days and even longer for others.”

At least 100 people died on the island, he said, and crops including rice, sugarcane, corn, and vegetables were seriously damaged.

Ten congregations were in Tino’s direct path, said Rev. Hector Condez, executive minister of the UUCP, and many sustained significant damage to their facilities.

Due to its own limited funds, the national office of UUCP has been able to provide only small cash assistance to two congregations in Canlaon City, which was particularly hard-hit, to buy badly needed food and water, said Pedro. UUCP has also provided financial help to about seventy households in those two congregations, he said.

“The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines is a small church where the majority of its members are farmers and fisher folks,” so during emergencies they depend on outside help, Pedro said. “Although the Filipino ‘Bayanihan’ spirit is always alive and ready to help others in need,” with the addition of outside assistance much more can be done to support people affected by the typhoon.

The Fund has already provided UUCP with a $10,000 grant to provide food, water, and basic supplies for affected families. The UU Service Committee (UUSC) is also partnering with the UUA in this effort and has provided a $10,000 grant from its UUSC Emergency Response Fund.

“The Unitarian Universalist Association has a special connection with the UU Church of the Philippines, which became a member of the UUA in 1988. Through decades of friendship we have been inspired by the joy and dedication UUCP members bring to their faith,” said Rev. Morgan McLean, director of the UUA’s Office of Global Connections. With these grants from the UUA and UUSC, “we were able to respond quickly to get help for the most immediate needs following this disaster.”

Ongoing donations “can help rebuild houses, improve churches that can be used as evacuation centers in remote villages, and [help] people to rebuild their livelihoods,” Pedro said. They will also support community education on climate change in vulnerable communities to make them more aware and resilient, and to provide capacity “to survive and thrive even in the most difficult times.”

“I want people to know that climate change is real, and … countries like the Philippines are suffering from the adverse impact of it,” Pedro said. “The poor are the most vulnerable, and their lives are in constant danger. Help if you can and when you can. Every small act of kindness and care for other people in need will have a positive impact on the world.”

Hymnal #182: “O, the Beauty in a Life” (Singing the Living Tradition)

by Toribio S. Quimada, founder of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines

O, the beauty in a life that illumines honor anew,
that models wise and gracious ways to every seeker;
that every day shall serve in joy and do the right.
O, praise the life whose beauty shows a justice true.

Let not service of the good be confined to great saints alone,
but every hour be part of all our daily living.
Set not the hope of wisdom’s grace beyond our ken;
how wide the path, how close the goal, which love has shown.

O, the beauty of a life that illumines care of the soul,
that knows a love that is for self as well as others,
that every day embodies praise for every good,
this is the faith to which we turn, our God and goal.