TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, October 6 (PIA) – Close to 50-thousand participants are expected to join the Candle Lighting Ceremony on November 8, as Eastern Visayas marks the first year of “Yolanda” devastation.
The 24-kilometer stretch of lighted candles will be spotted from the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport down to barangay Nula-tula to the north, including the major city streets.
“This is not a procession though,” clarified Mr. Jeff Manibay, organizer of “One Tacloban,” a non-government initiative that aims to ensure that the memories of “Yolanda” victims and casualties will always be remembered.
“Instead, barangay folks will just have to stand-up by the roadsides of their streets, get ready with their candles lined up on the ground and await the radio announcements, for the signal when to start lighting each of the candles,” Manibay explained.
Manibay, who operates a local TV station, lost his parents to the killer typhoon with more than 6-thousand others.
In a brief coordination conference at the Tacloban City Hall recently, Manibay informed that local radio stations will start broadcasting the event at 3 p.m. The anchors will update the public on the sequence of events as well as advisories.
“That is why we encourage the participants to bring their transistor radios so they can be updated with the on-going activity, one after the other,” Manibay said.
“For the specific hour, electricity will be switched off, and aside from the lighted candles seen by the sides of the major city streets, the public can also expect floating candles around the coast of the city as well as flying lanterns with lighted candles,” he added.
According to him, the activity has been cleared with the peace officers particularly with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
“One Tacloban” likewise organized the same candle lighting ceremony when the 40th day of “Yolanda” victims reached last December 17, 2013. More than 10-thousand were reported to have joined in that particular memorial. (PIA-8)
