07/02/2026
A PASTORAL LETTER
“After Tropical Storm Basyang: Called to Be Salt and Light for Our Common Home”
To the People of God in the Diocese of Iligan:
Grace and peace be with you.
In the wake of Tropical Storm Basyang, I extend my heartfelt sympathy to all who were affected by the flooding—especially families who were forced to leave their homes, lost their belongings, or whose livelihoods were disrupted. As your bishop, I stand with you in prayer and solidarity, sharing in your anxiety, your grief, and your hope for recovery.
We acknowledge with gratitude the efforts of our local government units, disaster response teams, barangay officials, uniformed personnel, church organizations, and social action volunteers. The early warnings, pre-emptive evacuations, rescue operations, and quick response helped prevent loss of life. These efforts show that preparedness saves lives, and for this, we give thanks.
For many Iliganons, the rising waters brought back painful memories of Tropical Storm Sendong in 2011. The fear we felt was not only because of what we saw, but because of what we remember. While Basyang did not bring the same scale of casualty, it reminded us that our city remains vulnerable and that’s because, to be honest, we have not acted enough on the lessons we learned.
What Tropical Storm Basyang Showed Us?
Basyang revealed a difficult truth: This disaster was not caused by rain alone. Yes, the storm brought intense rainfall that overwhelmed rivers and drainage systems, but its impact was worsened by long-standing environmental problems—denuded watersheds, silted and narrowed rivers, clogged drainage, and irresponsible waste disposal. When nature is abused, the consequences are borne most heavily by the poor and vulnerable.
Basyang showed us that even storms with weaker winds can become deadly when rainfall is intense and when our environment is already fragile. It reminded us that climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent and less predictable—and that we cannot afford complacency.
A Call to Solidarity and Responsibility
As disciples called by the Lord to be ‘the salt of the earth and the light of the world’ (Mt 5:13–16), we cannot remain indifferent to the cries of our suffering people and of our wounded environment. This moment calls us to solidarity. Let us continue to help one another—not only through relief goods, but through sustained concern for those rebuilding their lives.
It also calls us to responsibility and action. Care for creation is not an optional concern; it is a moral obligation. As Pope Francis teaches in Laudato Si, ecological care is inseparable from love of neighbor. Protecting forests, rivers, and seas; practicing proper waste management; supporting just land-use policies; and respecting environmental laws are concrete ways of loving God and one another.
To remember Sendong and to experience Basyang must lead us not only to fear—but to conversion and action.
A Call to Action
In light of these events, I call on our Diocesan Integral Ecology Ministry, in collaboration with parishes, schools, basic ecclesial communities, youth groups, and social action partners, to lead us in concrete and sustained action:
First, continue and intensify the environmental education and formation program in the parishes and BECs; and second, collaborate with and engage the local authorities and communities along programs of watershed protection, tree-growing, rivers and drainage community clean-up, and waste management. These actions are not merely projects—they are expressions of faith, concrete ways of living out the call of the gospel in our time.
Finally, may I respectfully extend the urgent call to our local government leaders and all agencies responsible for environmental protection and flood control. We appeal for decisive, transparent, and sustained action—on the rehabilitation of our watersheds, the enforcement of land-use and no-build-zone regulations, the desilting and widening of critical river channels, the improvement of drainage systems especially in vulnerable communities and the implementation of effective garbage and solid waste management programs.
We ask you to work closely with civil society and church communities so that together, as “salt and light of the world”, we may build a safer, more resilient, and ecologically balanced Iligan for present and future generations.
A Prayer for Our People
God of mercy and compassion,
You are our refuge in every storm.
Comfort those who suffer, protect those in danger,
and strengthen all who serve the common good.
Lord Jesus, who call us to be
“the salt of the earth and the light of the world”, make us faithful stewards of our common home, so that our lives may bring light and hope to our communities.
We entrust Iligan City and all its people to You, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Entrusting you all to the loving care of the Lord, and invoking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Michael the Archangel, I impart to you my blessing.
Yours in Christ,
† Jose R. Rapadas III, D.D.
Bishop of Iligan
February 8, 2026
