TACLOBAN CITY, Nov. 5 (PNA) – The city government here is stepping up security measures for the 2nd year anniversary of super typhoon Yolanda on Nov. 8 as some foreign officials positively responded to the invitation to join the commemoration in the city.
Organizers of the commemorative walk in this city asked participants to follow all rules to make the event orderly and peaceful.
“We ask people to bear with us, to follow traffic rules, pick up their garbage and obey instructions,” said one of its organizer, Malou Tabao, city nutrition action officer.
Participants are banned to bring umbrellas for security reasons.
Tabao said there is a possibility that United States Ambassador Philip Goldberg and Japanese Ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa will join the commemorative walk and program.
“Participants can only wear caps and raincoats in case of rain. We will impose security measures like we had during Pope Francis’ visit,” Tabao stressed.
The commemorative walk for Yolanda commemoration will start at 6 a.m., converging at the Tacloban City astrodome with people coming from Boy Scout junction, Sagkahan National High School and city hall grounds.
Participants are color-coded, wearing red, white or blue shirts.
At the Astrodome, after the commemorative walk, a mass will be officiated by Archbishop John Du with the Vicariate of Tacloban Choir to sing church songs.
Tabao added that the church choir together with selected children’s choir of the city will sing a Ryan Cayabyab song to remember the victims of the destructive typhoon.
After the mass, church bells will simultaneously ring, followed by the unveiling of a memorial at the Tacloban city astrodome where Mayor Alfred Romualdez will deliver his speech.
Tabao added that among the invited guest on Sunday’s event are foreign dignitaries and country directors of international humanitarian organizations but none had signified their presence yet.
Mass at the mass grave site in Holy Cross Memorial Cemetery will be held in the afternoon followed by the unveiling of the commemorative tablet of Pope Francis visit at the DZR airport.
The simultaneous lighting of candle for Yolanda victims from Tolosa town to the Blessed Sacrament church in Tacloban will start at 5 p.m. A total of 50,000 candles will be lighted with a distance of one meter each.
At night, 7,550 sky lanterns will be lighted. Another organizer, Jude Acidre said the had set the 9 p.m. time for sky lantern lighting to avoid flight disruptions.
“Hopefully this will be meaningful and a sacred moment,” Acidre added. (PNA)
FPV/SQM/ROEL T. AMAZONA
