A time for prayer

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, or PAGASA, confirmed last night that Typhoon “Pablo”, with international name “Bopha”, had entered the Philippine area of responsibility, or “PAR”.

Pagasa said that “Pablo” had been located about 900 kilometers southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, and is expected to make landfall tomorrow, affecting the northeastern part of Mindanao. But, because of its wide diameter, it is expected to bring rains, not only on Mindanao and parts of the Visayas, but even on Southern Luzon, that includes Metro Manila.

The same Pagasa warning said that “Pablo” could bring winds of 185 kilometers per hour, and gusts of some 220 KPH as well. With those statistics, it is expected to be even more powerful than Tropical Sendong that had wrought devastation and destruction to several areas of the country, including Negros Oriental in this island. Until now, some of its victims have not yet been able to get their bearings back, or fully recovered their losses of homes and properties.

This is truly alarming, because “Sendong” that has yet to mark its first anniversary, had been tagged as the world’s “most disastrous typhoon in 2011”. So, if “Pablo” is expected to be even more destructive and more powerful, one can just imagine what havoc it could cause to the areas it is expected to hit in the next hours. The Civil Defense Office has also called for precautionary measures, calling this storm as possibly the strongest to hit this year, and hopefully, the last in 2012.

Meanwhile, there is good reason to heed the call of local officials for both preparedness and prayers, as we anticipate the arrival of this new superstorm. We have had our experiences with the calamities we had gone through in the past year, and certainly do not want to go through that again. While we urge everyone, including our local agencies involved in dealing with such disasters, to prepare, therefore, we should not forget to implore the Lord for protection, and for His help in warding away the strength of this expected disaster from our country, and, especially from our areas.

There is not much we can do against the forces of Nature, but Prayer can always be relied on to protect us, as it has done in so many other calamities that had come in the past.

So let’s have recourse to prayer again, because it could be our only saving grace.*