A heritage structure in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur is damaged by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Luzon on Wednesday morning (July 27). | PHOTO COURTESY OF ARLENE GAJETON
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Members of the Roman Catholic church in Cebu are urged to help individuals in Luzon devastated by the recent earthquake there.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, in a statement, announced that the Roman Catholic Church of Cebu would be providing assistance to the archdioceses in Northern and Central Luzon that were affected by the 7.3-magnitude earthquake.
In turn, the Archdiocese of Cebu’s charity arm, the Cebu Caritas Inc., has begun coordinating with the National Secretariat for Social Action Justice and Peace of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), and Caritas Philippines, said Palma.
The Archbishop has also called on Catholics in Cebu to help their brothers and sisters in Luzon recover from the calamity that has claimed the lives of 10 individuals.
“Indeed, the strong earthquake has added to the problem of poverty in the affected communities, many of which have been battling the effects of COVID-19 and other natural calamities,” Palma said.
“It is therefore with a deep sense of humility that I would like to appeal for everyone’s sincere acts of kindness, generosity, and compassion in these trying times for the people of Northern Luzon,” he added.
The Archdiocese, for its part, also said they were open to accepting donations from those who would want to send aid to Luzon.
A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake jolted Northern and Central Luzon last July 27. Tremors were also felt in Metro Manila.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) located the epicenter that was located 17 kilometers underground, about 3 km west of Abra province’s Tayum town.
Hundreds of properties, including heritage sites such as century-old churches and the Bantay Watchtower in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, were damaged by the earthquake.
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