MANILA – Leaders of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) have called on the people to pray for rains to come and end the long, dry spell which has been blamed on the “El Nino†weather phenomenon.
The call was made followingl government reports of the continuing devastation that the drought has wrought mainly on major agricultural crops, like corn and rice, in at least 22 provinces throughout the country.
Aside from the heavy farm losses, estimated at the equivalent of $20 million, officials have also started reducing supplies of water from the major dams intended for irrigation as well as for business and residential use in Metro Manila and other urban centers in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
As the adverse effects of El Nino intensified, Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal of Cebu in the Visayas called on the faithful to pray to the Almighty for rains and bring relief to the parched lands tilled by millions of farmers in the countryside.
An aide of Vidal disclosed that a special prayer, called “Oratio Imperataâ€: is being prepared in the Cebu Catholic archdiocese which is to be recited during Mass in all the Catholic churches starting Sunday.
Oratio Imperata, or Obligatory Prayer, is described as a special prayer for a special intention which is different from the ones prescribed by rituals, that the Pope or bishop may require to be recited during daily Masses.
As such, Oratio Imperata is to be recited for special intentions like an end to civil disturbances as well as deliverance from natural or man-made calamities and even for ailments.
In May 2009, for instance, Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales of the archdiocese, of Manila ordered the recital of one such special prayer to end the global threat posed by the virulent HINI flu virus.
Bishop Martin Jumaod of the diocese of Basilan island in Mindanao joined Vidal in urging the faithful to pray for the rains to come.
Jumaod added that they have already prepared a special prayer which was read during the daily Mass in all churches on the island starting Friday.
Earlier, leaders of the various tribes in the Cordillera Administrative Region in the Northern Luzon highlands said they are seriously considering the possibility of going back to tradition to help end the dry spell.
Leaders said they would do this by performing the traditional “rain dance,†highlighted by butchering native pigs which are to be offered to “Kabunian,†the chief of their tribal gods.
They said this will be accompanied by dancing for a day or two to be participated by the members of the tribes joining in the ceremony.
According to the leaders, their traditional rain dance is much cheaper and probably more effective than the modern-day practice of cloud-seeding to bring rains.
The Cordillera region is also affected by the drought along with its neighboring provinces in Cagayan Valley, also in the Northern Luzon highlands, where lack of rain has caused huge losses on their main agricultural products such as corn and especially rice, the staple food of the 92 million Filipinos.
Due to El Nino’s disastrous impact, the provincial boards have unanimously approved separate resolutions declaring a state of calamity in Isabela and Cagayan, two of the country’s major food producers.
Officials explained the declaration would enable their provincial governments to use their calamity funds, representing five percent of their annual budgets, to buy much-needed agricultural equipment, particularly shallow tube wells, for distribution to farmers much affected by the drought.
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