What foreigners can teach us

 

By Manila Bulletin

Published Oct 12, 2025 12:05 am | Updated Oct 11, 2025 04:59 pm   REFLECTIONS TODAY

Luke 17:11-19

Today’s Gospel reading underscores the importance of gratitude and faith in our journey of discipleship. Luke uses the story of the ten lepers who call out to Jesus to have pity on them. Trusting in Jesus’ word and his command to show themselves to the priests, they find themselves cleansed on their way.

The nine, who are Jews, proceed to Jerusalem to be examined by priests who certify that they are clean and so can join their community. The Samaritan, whose people do not worship in Jerusalem, instead returns to Jesus to do him homage and thank him. It is his faith in Jesus as the prophet of God, even as the Taheb (essentially the Samaritan equivalent of the Jewish Messiah) that saves him, which is more than being cleansed of his leprosy.

The cure of the Samaritan, a foreigner among the Jews, is introduced by the story of the cure of the leprous general Naaman in the First Reading. After being cleansed of leprosy through the prophet Elisha, Naaman realizes that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Knowing that he has to be at the side of the king of Aram when this worships in the temple of Rimmon, Naaman asks for forgiveness if he, too, bows with his master.

Elisha understands his situation and allows him to carry loads of earth to be taken to Aram. Worship of the Lord is associated with the soil of Israel, where the Lord is present. He can therefore worship God in Syria. The Word of God underscores the significance of gratitude.

We often find ourselves asking for God’s blessings, for healing, for guidance. But how often do we return to offer thanks when our prayers are answered?

The Samaritan leper returns to Jesus to give thanks. The Syrian Naaman brings with him soil from Israel as “sacrament” of his faith and worship of the Lord, the true God. The cure of the two lepers who are foreigners likewise shows that God’s blessing is open to all. While Israel may have the priority as God’s elect, Jesus opens the Kingdom of heaven to everyone. God’s love transcends boundaries, prejudices, and differences.

As followers of Christ, we are called to embrace this truth and extend our love and compassion to all people, regardless of their background or circumstances. Pope Francis invites us to nurture fraternity and friendship among peoples.

He writes, “It is my desire that, in this our time, by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity. Fraternity between all men and women. ‘Here we have a splendid secret that shows us how to dream and to turn our life into a wonderful adventure.

No one can face life in isolation… We need a community that supports and helps us, in which we can help one another to keep looking ahead. How important it is to dream together… By ourselves, we risk seeing mirages, things that are not there. Dreams, on the other hand, are built together.’

Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all (Fratelli Tutti, 8).

Davao Oriental fast-tracks earthquake rehab

By Keith Bacongco

Published Oct 11, 2025 03:27 pm

DAYANHIRANG and Cabinet officials discuss rehabilitation efforts. (PIO Davao Oriental)

DAVAO CITY – The provincial government of Davao Oriental convened with Cabinet officials on Saturday, Oct. 11, to fast-track relief and rehabilitation efforts in the province following the doublet earthquake that jolted the province on Friday.

Three were reported killed in the province while 360 others were injured after a magnitude-7.4 earthquake hit the coast of Manay town in Davao Oriental. Over 70,000 families were affected from 10 towns and one city of the province.

A series of aftershocks, which include a magnitude-6.8 tremor, rattled Davao region until Saturday.

Gov. Nelson Dayanghirang met Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara, and Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Leo Tereso Magno in City of Mati to outline priority relief and rehabilitation efforts.

“Davao Oriental may have been shaken but it’s people remain steadfast and untied,” Dayanghirang said as he assured intensified coordination among agencies.

He emphasized the importance of a well-coordinated effort to fast-track the rehabilitation of critical infrastructures.

Gatchalian assured earthquake-hit communities that they will extend relief aid to affected families in the region.

The provincial government has activated the Incident Command Post at the provincial capitol gymnasium to monitor the situation as well coordinate ongoing relief and rehabilitation operations.

Dayanghirang also activated the Provincial Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) team composed of the Provincial Disaster Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), Provincial Engineers Office (PEO), Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), Provincial Health Office (PHO), DPWH, and DepEd.

RDANA will lead damage assessment and relief requirements among affected areas.

As of 6 a.m. Saturday, a report from the DSWD Disaster Response Operations Management, Information, and Communication (DROMIC) showed that the doublet earthquake has affected 356,858 persons from 205 barangays in the Davao and Caraga regions.

The provincial government of Davao Oriental suspended tourism-related activities in all coastal areas of the province effective Saturday.

“Tourism establishments located along the coastal zones are particularly vulnerable to aftershocks, ground instability, and potential secondary hazards such as landslides and tsunamis,” an executive order issued by Dayanghirang said.

The province’s white sand beaches are a known weekend destination.

It added that “tourism establishments may only resume operations upon certification of structural integrity and safety clearance issued by the Municipal Engineering Office and or other competent authorities.”

Bayanihan in action: Now is the time to step up, not step back

 By Manila Bulletin

Published Oct 12, 2025 12:05 am

In the wake of last week’s calamitous earthquakes — first a magnitude-7.4 quake off Davao Oriental then a magnitude 6.8 in the same area Oct. 10, following closely after the magnitude 6.9 quake in Cebu island on Sept. 30 — the Philippines is once again confronted with the raw power of nature and the fragility of our built environment. In Cebu alone, more than 70 lives were lost, hundreds were injured, and thousands of homes and public infrastructure were severely damaged or destroyed. In Davao and surrounding provinces, the quake triggered landslides, damaged roads and schools, and left communities reeling.

These earthquakes come on top of a long season of calamities — protracted flooding in recent months, coming from monsoon surges and tropical storms, has already battered provinces and displaced many families. Barangay, local government units’, and government agencies’ volunteers and community groups have already been stretched thin managing evacuation centers, distributing food, and doing frontline relief work.

The Philippine Red Cross, too, has proven how indispensable volunteer networks are in such times. Even when their own homes were threatened, their volunteers persisted in search-and-rescue missions, medical outreach, health education, and managing relief distribution. In the Davao earthquakes, Red Cross volunteers responded swiftly to affected municipalities, joining the front lines of relief and damage assessment.

It is telling: in every recent Philippine disaster, professional responders—government, police, military, NGOs—cannot reach every barangay immediately. The gap between disaster onset and formal assistance is precisely where volunteerism matters most.

There is much room for volunteer work. If you live near or can travel to affected areas—Cebu, Davao Oriental, or intermediate provinces—join official volunteer corps (Red Cross, local NGOs) rather than simply showing up uncoordinated. These organizations have protocols for safety, logistics, and working with local disaster risk reduction offices.

Those who cannot go to the affected areas, or are not fit to do volunteer work, can donate cash or goods to trusted organizations (Philippine Red Cross chapters, accredited foundations, or local NGOs).

Beyond monetary support, volunteer your time and skills: Help pack relief goods, hygiene kits, and medical supplies. Help manage or staff evacuation or distribution centers. Assist in logistics, transportation, communications, or data registration. Help in fundraising, awareness campaigns, or coordination efforts.

Ask, don’t wait to be asked. In devastated areas, resources may be overwhelmed, and official volunteer recruitment slow. Reach out to your local disaster risk reduction management council, or to the non-government organizations (NGOs), to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (Dswd) through their websites. They have issued calls for volunteers. Ask, “How can I help?” Even small tasks multiply when many hands answer the call.

Some might argue that disaster response should be left to professionals. True, technical decisions (search & rescue, medical triage, infrastructure assessment) require expertise. But the recovery and relief process depends on sustained community involvement. The debris must be cleared, relief packages must be sorted and delivered, centers must be run, and emotional wounds must be tended. All of these demand manpower, care, and consistency.

Moreover, volunteerism sends a message: victims are not alone. The presence of volunteers restores dignity, nurtures hope, and strengthens social fabric when it is most frayed. This is the heart of bayanihan—not heroism for media headlines but quiet, selfless service.

In this moment of suffering and uncertainty, each Filipino has a role to play. Let our bayanihan not be a cliché, but a living force. Let us answer with solidarity, courage, and compassion. Because in disasters, we must always choose to stand with our fellow Filipinos—not with empty words, but with hands and hearts.

In crises, the Filipino spirit of bayanihan must now move beyond symbolism and become visible action.