Pepeng survivors cling to faith, prayers to move on

By Alfred Pudsoc

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Armed with umbrella and clad in long skirt and blouse, Jovilyn Agnaya, 28, of La Trinidad, Benguet smiled as she wiped out the dirt from her bag which contained several copies of invitations she would distribute to her neighbors.

A few weeks ago, the smile diminished from her face when she learned that she could not return to her house in Barangay Puguis in La Trinidad, Benguet when the Mines and Geosciences Bureau declared “Little Kibungan” as uninhabitable because it is within the danger zone.

In Little Kibungan alone, 77 people died due to landslides following heavy rains spawned by typhoon “Pepeng” on Oct. 8.

Agnaya said she was thankful that she survived the landslides since she was in Tomay in La Trinidad at the height of the strong typhoon that killed her neighbors and friends.

“We feel sad when we lost our house but we’re still alive and that is more important than anything else,” she said.

This sense of gratitude had moved her to show deep concern and love for her neighbors by volunteering her time and energy to invite people to attend a convention aimed at providing spiritual counsel and encouragement to calamity victims like her.

She took time out from her household chores to distribute invitations to her relatives, friends, and residents in La Trinidad on the series of convention at the Athletic Bowl in Burnham Park , Baguio City .

Agnaya said many survivors have yet to recover from the trauma caused by the landslides.
In Benguet 208 people died of landslides, 113 people were injured while seven are still missing, according to the provincial disaster and coordinating council.

Agnaya stressed that what the survivors badly need is psychological and spiritual counseling.
Agnaya, a Jehovah’s Witness who belongs to Pico Congregation in La Trinidad, will be among the delegates of this year’s “Keep On the Watch” convention, an annual event of Jehovah’s Witnesses which will start every Friday, Saturday and Sunday of December in Athletic Bowl, Burnham Park in Baguio City .

Asked why she is attending the convention in Baguio despite losing her home, she said: “I need to strengthen my faith in God so I can move on. It’s difficult to go on with my life if I don’t have power that only God can bring. Listening encouraging verses from the Bible is one way to overcome adversities in life.”

On Dec. 4-6, delegates from Ilocos provinces and Pangasinan, which was heavily flooded because of the rains dumped by “Pepeng,” will gather to listen to lectures in Filipino.

On Dec. 11-13 and Dec. 18 to 20, the lectures will be presented in Iloko.

The same convention will also be conducted in Loo, Buguias, Benguet on Dec. 25-27.

Aside from this, hearing-impaired individuals from Northern Luzon and Cordillera will hold their sign language convention in the country’s summer capital for the first time on Jan. 1-3 at the Baguio Convention Center .

The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, the legal and corporate arm of JWs that organized the conventions, said the conventions consist of a series of Bible-based lectures and counsel intended to provide spiritual help to people, especially the victims of the recent storms.

The delegates will come from northern Luzon provinces.

JW volunteers have started an intensified information campaign by going from house to house to distribute the invitations.

The morning sessions will begin at 8:20 a.m. and will end at 4 p.m.

Discussions will also center on the Scriptural meaning behind disasters and current events, and strengthen the bond of marriages and families.

The Watch Tower said admission is free and all sessions are open to the public.

For inquiry, log on to www.watchtower.org.