THE CAGAYAN DE ORO TIMES: Sendong Memorial

Villar honors Sendong victims with Memorial

story by CHRISTINE CABIASA | photos by SHAUN ALEJANDRAE YAP UY

The Sendong Memorial. Golden Haven Memorial Park, Cagayan de Oro City

To honor the memory of the Sendong victims, Senator Manny Villar and Cynthia Villar of the Villar Foundation led the blessing and dedication ceremony of the Sendong Memorial at Golden Haven Memorial Park, Bulua, October 25.

The 716-square meter Sendong Memorial is made up of travertine and black granite base and features an ascending circular marker in the middle, accented with a water fountain.

It has 13 pillars carved with names of confirmed dead people and identified casualties caused by typhoon Sendong.

Cynthia Villar,
Chairman and Managing Director
of Villar Foundation

“Through the Sendong Memorial, may we be able to help you pay homage to the memory of your departed ones. The memorial will stand there as a lasting tribute, not to the death, but to the lives of those whom we have lost, to the people who helped Cagayan de Oro recover and to remind us that we should take care of our environment to prevent disasters in the future”, Cynthia Villar, Chairman and Managing Director of Villar Foundation said.

Villar adds that typhoon Sendong is a result of climate change and deforestation, which shows a pressing need for Filipinos to protect the environment. “The memorial also serves as a reminder of the bitter lessons learned from the tragedy, particularly those concerning environment protection.”

Villar also recognized the efforts of the local government for its immediate actions and preventive measures done including the dredging of the Cagayan de Oro River.

Local officials, rescuers, survivors, donors and benefactors who have helped the victims both from public and private sectors, members of religious group, people from different academic institutions, and families and relatives of the Sendong victims were present to witness the event.

Las Pinas former Rep. Cynthia Villar Managing Director of the Villar Foundation, Rep. Isidro Lico of Ating Koop Party List , Senator Manny Villar, Cagayan de Oro City Vice Mayor Caesar Ian Acenas , Misamis Oriental Second District Representative Bambi Emano, and Cagayan de Oro City Councilor Dante Pajo lead the inaugural cutting of ribbon of the Sendong Memorial on Thursday with CDO Archbishop Antonio Ledesma.

Remembering that fateful day of December 17, 2011, typhoon Sendong hit Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City and killed more than 1,200 people, hundreds missing, causing P1.3B damage to agriculture, infrastructures, and properties.

“Sakit gihapon para sa amo ang nahitabo pero unsaon taman inanha ang kinabuhi, kaluoy sa Ginoo wala mi namatyan pero sakit ug kasubo gayud ang among naagian ug karun pinaagi ana nga memorial, mahinumduman gihapon namu sila” (it still hurts us about what happened, but that’s life, thank God, no one died in our family but it hurts us and we feel sorrowful for what we’ve been through, but with this memorial, we will remember them), Lucita Benanlao, one of the Sendong victims shared.

----------------------------

The CAGAYAN DE ORO TIMES

VOL1 No13 November 4-10, 2012

click on the link to read this week's copy of the CDO TIMES

http://issuu.com/thecdotimes/docs/cdotimes-13?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true

like us on facebook:http://www.facebook.com/CagayandeOroTIMES