Leyte priest prays for sunny Holy Week amid storm threat

PALO, Leyte, March 27  -- The Archdiocese of Palo is praying for a good weather as an approaching tropical storm threatens to dump rains in Eastern Visayas region this Holy Week.

Fr. Gilbert Urbina, Palo archdiocesan liturgist, said Monday they have strong faith that no storm will hit the country this Lenten season.

“No typhoon is coming, but in case there would be rains, we will still have the procession for as long as there are no strong winds,” Urbina told reporters on Monday.

In its latest advisory, state weather bureau PAGASA spotted the center of Tropical Storm Jelawat at 1,005 kilometers east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 80 kilometers per hour.

The weather disturbance is most likely to enter the country’s area of responsibility and will be named "Caloy" once it is inside the country.

PAGASA, however, forecasted that the tropical storm still has no direct effect in the country.

Thousands of devotees from different part of Eastern Visayas are expected to join the procession on Thursday and Friday in this town, the center of Roman Catholic Church in Leyte and Samar provinces.

The “Pamalandong” or meditation on Good Friday is the highlight of the Holy Week tradition in this town. 
The religious activity is a re-enactment of the Lord´s Passion celebrated in Palo town. The tradition has started in 1974. (SQM/PNA)