Mass for Ondoy victims slated in Makati on Monday

A memorial Mass and the inauguration of a marker in Makati City will highlight a memorial event for victims and heroes of last year's Ondoy (Ketsana) tragedy on Monday. Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales will preside over the Mass, dubbed "Ondoy 1 A.D. (After Disaster)," at 8:30 a.m., according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the agency that organized the Mass. "It is just proper to give our respects to the casualties and express our gratitude to those who provided selfless assistance during those trying times. They prove that bayanihan still exists in our country," MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said on Thursday. To follow the Mass is an audio-visual presentation of the Ondoy tragedy and the severe damage it wrought in Metro Manila and nearby provinces one year ago. Tolentino said the event is meant to pay tribute to the hundreds who died in the calamity and to honor thousands of volunteers who helped in the cleanup operations. Marker Another highlight of the event is the inaugural of a marker to be installed within the MMDA office, to serve as a constant reminder of the heroism and resilience shown by the Filipinos during national crisis. Invited to grace the occasion to recount their experiences are former MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando, his wife and former Marikina City Mayor Marides Fernando, Mayors Aldrin San Pedro of Muntinlupa, Robert Eusebio of Pasig, Del de Guzman of Marikina, and Jaime Medina of the Municipality of Pateros. Tolentino will deliver a keynote message outlining the various flood control programs and projects of the agency aimed to mitigate flooding problems and avoid a recurrence of Ondoy. He will also attend the Ondoy commemorative services in Marikina City, organized by Marikina Mayor Del De Guzman, on Sunday. "The experts all agree that climate change is inevitable and its effects are irreversible, but we can at least try to lessen the impact and the damage by doing something to protect and conserve our environment now," Tolentino stressed. Cleanup A month-long massive cleanup and clearing operations were conducted by the MMDA in the cities of Marikina, the hardest-hit, Muntinlupa, and Pasig immediately after Ondoy. Some 2,000 workers from the Roadway Clearing Operations Group, Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group, and Rescue Unit were deployed simultaneously on the areas gravely affected by "Ondoy" to haul tons of garbage and mud from the streets. About 21,700 hectares of Metro Manila's 650,000-hectare land area were submerged by Ondoy's floods during the first hours of the storm's onslaught. The MMDA also opened its own relief centers around Metro Manila to receive donations for the thousands of victims. Meanwhile, Tolentino is inviting the public to send through email (email@mmda.gov.ph) Ondoy photographs which can be used by the agency on its week-long photo exhibit that will start on Monday. He promised that proper acknowledgement will be given to contributors. — KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV