As the Philippines recovers from a super typhoon, a volcano explosion, fires and the effects of El Niño, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members have sprung into action to provide aid to those affected.
April 2024 — Three devastating fires triggered by severe heat waves left many survivors in desperate need. In response, the Church provided relief goods, water and personal hygiene kits to over 50 displaced families.
May 27, 2024 — Upwards of 100 members of the Church repacked over 4,000 food packs and clean drinking water, even working through the night, for 20,000 victims of drought caused by El Niño.
June 2024 — Over 800 people were evacuated when the Kanlaon volcano suddenly erupted. In response, the Church provided much-needed food packs, drinking water, bedding and hygiene kits.
July 10, 2024 — The Church aided farmers affected by last year’s super typhoon by distributing farming goods that will help them make up for lost crops.
Ministering to Marikina City fire survivors
According to a news release from ChurchofJesusChrist.org, severe heat waves recently triggered three devastating fires across the Philippines, leaving many families in desperate need of aid. In response to this crisis, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stepped in to assist the local government in providing relief.
The Church’s emergency response services provided relief goods, and local members volunteered their time. Organized by a stake president, Ofrecio Y. Corpuz of the Marikina Philippines Stake, they repacked relief goods, water and personal hygiene kits for more than 50 families who had been forced from their homes by the disasters.
On April 9 and April 20, Church members came together with a shared mission: to pack, sort and distribute essential goods to their neighbors whose lives had been upended by the fires. The atmosphere was one of gratitude and renewed hope as recipients arrived to collect the much-needed donations.
Despite the profound loss of homes and property, the distribution venue was filled with optimism. Families found solace not just in the items they received but also in the community’s unwavering spirit of support and compassion. They expressed gratitude for the Church’s additional assistance.
President Corpuz delivered a heartfelt message to the recipients, reminding them of God’s enduring love and presence during their hardships. He encouraged everyone to place their trust in Heavenly Father and maintain hope, even when facing the most difficult challenges.
Working through the night for El Niño victims in Cebu
On May 27, 2024, the Church responded to the needs of those suffering from prolonged lack of rain caused by the El Niño phenomenon. The Church provided food packs and clean water to over 20,000 needy individuals living in the mountain barangays (districts) of Busay, Bonbon, Sirao and Babag in Cebu City.
Under the direction of President Dennis Dan T. Nuñez, the Cebu City Philippines Stake took the initiative to assemble food packs, bottles of drinking water and water containers to support the four mountain barangays that had been severely impacted by the effects of El Niño.
Over 100 members of the Church volunteered to assist in the relief efforts, some working through the night to complete the repacking in a short time for the local government to collect and distribute.
Reese Sy, a young single adult from Cebu City’s Mabolo Ward, expressed to ChurchofJesusChrist.org, “It was heartwarming to see the number of people who came and volunteered their time to be of service to their neighbors. I am grateful to be with a community of people who love to serve.”
Other members expressed their gratitude at being involved: “I felt the Spirit touch the hearts of the members of our stake. I am grateful for their examples and their service, for I can learn that when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are only in the service of our God,” said Danielle, a young woman from Lahug Ward, paraphrasing Mosiah 2:17.
Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia then shared his gratitude for the Church’s efforts: “The city government is here to help and serve its constituents, but we know we cannot help everyone. So today, we can see how our partners, the private sector and the Church help us do this part of our job. Because of institutions like yours, it makes our job easier, so we thank you very much for your donation to our constituents, especially the mountain barangays.”
President Nuñez directed any gratitude toward the Savior and His example: “We are happy to do this service to our fellowmen, just as Christ would invite us to do and love our neighbors. We are all God’s children.”
Volcano evacuees provided supplies and shelter
On June 4, at 6:51 p.m., the Kanlaon volcano explosively erupted at its summit vent, prompting the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to raise the alert level from level 1 to level 2.
A ChurchofJesusChrist.org news article reported the eruption lasted six minutes and was preceded by a “relatively strong volcano-tectonic earthquake.” Almost 800 people needed to be evacuated from their homes.
On June 6, Latter-day Saints in the La Carlota Philippines District immediately stepped up to repack over 200 food packs, 100 five-gallon water containers, sleeping materials and hygiene kits for almost 300 people who evacuated to the La Castellana meetinghouse.
La Carlota District President Johndill O. Parreno directed distributing relief packs to the evacuees, reassuring them that they had unwavering support from their neighbors in the wake of the disaster.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology continued to report that aside from the initial eruption and post-eruption tremors, the greatest risk is the continuous phreatic eruption of ash, gas and rocks into the sky. Health officials have also warned nearby residents of potential exposure to noxious gasses that could cause lung damage.
La Castellana Mayor Rhummyla Mangilimutan was also involved in the distribution of the relief goods and thanked the Church, its local leaders and members for their compassion: “My heart melts seeing many people loving and caring citizens of our beloved La Castellana. I send my heartfelt gratitude to all members and officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” the mayor expressed.
President Parreno expressed his appreciation for all those who volunteered, saying, “The Church is doing its best to be a good neighbor to the community, seeking ways to serve and assist those in need, both members and our friends from other faiths, especially in times of calamity. This is our way of showing how much we love our Father in Heaven by caring for the people around us.”
The Church supplies farmers affected by super typhoon
Last year, Super Typhoon Egay devastated more than PHP 660 million (U.S. $11.3 million) worth of farmers’ crops, other agricultural produce, equipment and infrastructure. As these farmers struggle to regroup from that loss, the Church has joined with the government to provide soil enhancers, increasingly expensive fertilizers and other farming support products to over 3,400 Filipino farmers.
To launch this assistance project, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, along with several non-profit organizations and the Church, hosted an inaugural event on July 10, where they began distributing supplies at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena in Laoag City.
Ferdin, a 42-year-old farmer from Solsona, Ilocos Norte, was astonished to discover that more donations were on their way. He had nearly lost hope after last year’s typhoon devastated his two-acre crop, wiping out an estimated 200 sacks of rice. “This will help me and my family greatly as it will lessen the cost needed for us to plant this season,” he told ChurchofJesusChrist.org in their article.
At the event, Sen. Imee R. Marcos, the eldest sister of Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., expressed her appreciation for the Church’s swift humanitarian efforts to support Filipino farmers, noting that their contributions will aid farmers while awaiting government grants and recovery programs. She also highlighted the Church’s long-standing support for numerous humanitarian projects and emergency relief initiatives across the Philippines.
Also in attendance were local Church leaders Elder Arlen M. Tumaliuan, an Area Seventy; President Brett E. Palmer of the Philippines Laoag Mission and President Aniceto Perfecto C. Zabala II, first counselor in the Laoag Philippines Stake Presidency.
Elder Tumaliuan shared that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are dedicated to following the Savior’s example of love and service. He highlighted that these donations were made possible through the generous contributions of members who faithfully pay their tithes and offerings.
President Zabala echoed this sentiment and emphasized that the Church’s humanitarian efforts align with God’s teachings on sharing blessings: “Even though we know it will not sustain every farmer in the province(s), we hope it will alleviate your needs and help you become self-sufficient. This is what the gospel of Jesus Christ delivers to everyone: we should love and serve one another.”
The Laoag distribution event is the first of many, with over a dozen more planned in the coming weeks, with over 700 farmers in Ilocos Norte having received vital farming assistance packs and met with local agricultural officials for further support.