Blessing of 10 fishing boats in Panacboan, Sto. Nino, Talibon, Bohol by Bishop Patrick Daniel Y. Parcon, DD, Bishop of the Diocese of Talibon, Bohol. These are among the 60 fishing boats donated by TYF to parishes in the diocese. Beneficiaries of the 10 fishing boats were chosen from islands covered by the Blessed Trinity Cathedral Parish.

For more than a decade now, many parishes all over the province of Bohol have been raising funds and mobilizing volunteers to implement a project called Balay sa Kabus (House for the Poor). When Tanging Yaman Foundation funded the construction of 30 houses in the Diocese of Talibon as part of the Odette rehab projects, parishes were able to act quickly by utilizing the core designs and workforce of Balay sa Kabus.

On March 3, Fr Tereso Lumacang of the San Vicente Ferrer Parish in Hinlayagan Ilaya, Trinidad led the blessing and turnover of four houses to their beneficiaries. Fr Ters also paid tribute to volunteers from the Love Builders Association (LOBA), the Catholic Women’s League who donated curtains, and the barangay councils of Hinlayagan Ilaya, M. Roxas, Banlasan, and Kauswagan who donated food for the volunteer workers.

TYF is deeply grateful to the Diocesan Social Action Center for coordinating TYF’s rehab projects in the Diocese of Talibon.

Although Paeng was just a tropical storm and not even a typhoon, it brought a catastrophic volume of rain in October and November. Provinces everywhere – Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao – reported massive flooding and landslides.

TYF provided P200,000 for relief operations of the Archdiocese of Cotabato Social Action Ministry. TYF donated an additional P300,000 for their Damayan early recovery program in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato, one of the worst affected areas where houses were washed away by floodwaters.

TYF’s funds were supplemented with P150,000 from the Philippine Humanitarian Coalition. The Social Action Ministry distributed hygiene materials (towels, soap, toothpaste), kitchen resources (knife, chopping board, pitcher), and household supplies (pail, basin, water dipper, solar flashlight) to 300 families over the Christmas season.

One of our Odette rehab partners visited us last Friday, March 03!

From our base in Manila, Tanging Yaman Foundation does not often meet the end users of relief goods we send out, and it was gratifying to hear from Msgr Terry Iral how the food packages and diapers from TYF and donors reached the Our Lady of Mt Carmel Parish in Del Carmen, Siargao, and how the GI sheets and Hardiflex were used to repair one of their community chapels.

TYF provided funds to replace the twin engines of the parish service boat -- four of their 20 chapels are accessible only by boat, and the waves are rough in the sea.

TYF also donated P888,779 for the construction of a new chapel in Domoyog after the old chapel was completely demolished. The parish is still raising funds to put up the walls and ceiling, but masses have been celebrated here since the Misa de Gallo.