Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish – DapDap, Alangalang

The Formative Years:
Beginnings And Consolidation (2004-2013)

The mission station of Dapdap, Alangalang was formally erected by the Most Rev. Pedro R. Dean, D.D. on June 6, 2004 in order to provide fuller pastoral care to the faitfhul living  in  the  eastern  barangays  of  the  municipality,  which  bordered  on  the  neighboring municipalities  of  Sta.  Fe  and  Jaro.  The  new  mision  station  was  estalished  under  the advocation of the Our Lady of Hope, with the Rev. Fr. HERCULANO TABADA as its first priest-in-charge.  The  new  mission  comprised  the  barangays  of  Dapdap,  Bobonon, Lingayon,  Cogon,  Aslum,  Astorga,  Bato,  Pepita,  Buri,  Penalosa,  Cambulao,  Salvacion Farm,  Langit,  and  San  Pedro,  all  of  these  belonging  to  the  municipality  of  Alangalang. Later on, Langit and San Pedro would be handed back to the pastoral care of the mother Parish  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity  of  Alangalang  since  it  was  more  accesible  for  their inhabitants  to  go  to  the  main  parish  instead  of  the  new  mission  station.  It  was  further decided that Brgy. Cambahanon, then under the care of the neighboring St. Anne Parish of Sta. Fe, Leyte, be fused to the mission station for the same reasons of accessibility.

The old chapel of Dapdap, situated a stone’s throw from the highway, served as the seat of the new mission. It was a small structure, located along the barangay road that led from the highway to the other barangays to the interior. Fr. Tabada resided for a while in the  nearby  barangay  hall,  about  a  five-minute  walk  from  the  chapel.  Later  on  he  would transfer  his  residence  to  Sitio  Amanantas,  further  away  from  the  church.  He  established a pastoral council that would assist him in taking up the daunting task of building up this new community of believers. He would only remain there for a bit more than a year, for in August 2005 he is appointed and transferred to the Sacred Heart Parish of Tacloban as its parish priest.

Upon  his  departure,  the  pastoral  care  of  the  mission  is  undertaken  by  the  parish priest of Alangalang, Msgr. JAIME VILLANUEVA. He renames it Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Mission Station, and continues where Fr. Tabada left off, closing the negotiations  pertaining to the acquisition of a one-hectare lot  near the barangay hall and the local elementary school upon which to build the new mission church and rectory. The lot  was  part  of  the  land  owned  by  Mrs.  Remedios  Guyjoco-Tiu.  It  was  given  to  the Archdiocese and the deed of donation was signed on September 27, 2005.

The land having been given, the parishioners took it upon themselves to clear the land and to prepare it for the construction of the new mission church. They hacked away at the tall grass and drove away the snakes and other fauna for whom the thick vegetation served  as  a  natural  habitat.  In  the  meantime,  Msgr.  Villanueva  consulted  an  architect  (a close  relation of  his)  and  commisioned  him  to come up with a plan for the new rectory, which  was  the  first  project  to  be  undertaken,  so  that  the  pastor  might  have  a  stable residence  in  the  mission.  Construction  started  with  the  groundbreaking  of  the  lot  for  the rectory in October of 2005.

On November 27 of the same year the mission celebrated the feast of its patroness for the first time. Archbishop Dean celebrated the Fiesta Mass, and the fiesta celebration became  an  occasion  for  the  faithful  to  raise  funds  for  the  rectory  construction  project. They  came  up  with  a  popularity  contest,  with  Mr.  Rogelio  V.  Vergara  of  Buri  and  Mrs. Lilia  V.  Dapuran  of  Canvertudes  as  the  Yuletide  King  and  Queen.  The  amount  gathered was  helpful  enough,  allowing  for  the  construction  of  a  two-story  rectory  structure  to commence in January of 2006.

On March 4 of that same year, Rev. Fr. NORMAN JOSE MANAWATAO is installed as the new priest-in-charge of the mission, and he wasted no time in furthering the work that needed to be done in it. Aside from the ordinary pastoral occupations of the place, he revived  the  pastoral  council  and  established  a  finance  council,  two  consultative  bodies that  would  prove  useful  considering  the  giant  task  that  lay  ahead  of  the  new pastor.  He chose  respectable  people  in  the  community,  known  for  their  expertise  and  thier commitment  to  the  good  of  the  Church:  Anita  A.  Sonet  (Vice-Chairman),  Teresita  I. Baldesco (Secretary), Sofia V. Bague (Treasurer), Aurora B. Decena (Auditor); among the other members of the pastoral council were Winefreda Yap, Rosalia B. Apa, Asuncion 0. Aldas,  Glen  Espeleta,  Catherine  G.  Macanip,  Elmer  Baldesco;  in  charge  of  temporalities were  Lino  decena,  Ignacio  Ongkit,  and  Cesar  Alis;  Jansen  Baldesco  was  chairperson  on Youth.  Appointed  to  the  Finance  Council  were  Ma.  Lilia  V.  Dapuran  (Chair),  Belinda Casimpan  (vice-chair),  Lydia  B.  Anover,  Anacorita  Guyjoco,  Charlita  Dapuran, Luzviminda Morados, Thelma Pulga, Zenaida Ayo and Ranilyn Ranes completed the said council as members. Together with Fr. Manawatao they sought ways and means in order to  come  up  with  the  funds  that  would  allow  the  construction  of  the  rectory  to  push through.  The  pastor  had  secured  the  assistance  of  some  good  friends  in  Palompon  for construcion  materials,  and  came  up  with  other  initiatives:  parishioners  and  priest  went on  out  on  caroling  on  December,  reaching  out  to  sponsors  not  only  in  Alangalang  and Tacloban, but going out to as far as Ormoc and Palompon. Furthermore, the pastor had also reached out to the barangay councils under his care, calling for monthly pledges at Php 1,000.00 each. These were very helpful in the payment of the loan that financed the project at hand.

At the celebration of the second mission station fiesta, marked by the Fiesta Mass offered by Rev. Fr. Oscar Lorenzo, they were able to gather not only the parishioners from all parts of the mission and from other parishes as well, but also more needed funds. The event was graced by the then-Leyte Representative Remedio Petilia who gave a cash gift of Php 10,000.00. As in the previous year, another popularity contest had been launched for the occasion, with Paul O. Ayo and Carina J. Ongkit of Dapdap, who were proclaimed winners, the proceeds of whihc went into the continuing project at hand.

The efforts  of the whole mission finally paid of with the completion of the rectory, which  by  the  summer  of  2007  was  all  ready  for  occupancy.  It  was  blessed  and  formally inaugurated on May 3 of that year, an event attended by the same parishioners of the area.

The third patronal feast of the mission station was marked by the Mass celebrated by Archbishop Jose S. Palma, who had succeeded Archbishop Dean. Aside from the staple popularity  contest,  it  was  also  marked  by  sports  tournaments  (Fr.  Manawatao  being  a known  sports  enthusiast),  particularly  volleyball  and  basketball.  That  year  the  mission came  up  with  The  Most  Popular  Matron  popularity  contest,  the  title  being  awarded  to Consolacion  Palomeras  Ladrera.  Also  marking  the  fiesta  of  2007  was  the  generous donation of Mr.& Mrs. Rolando Creado and their family of Php 10,000.00, along with two chandeliers for the mission station.

With  the  rectory  project  accomplished,  attention  turned  to  the  construction  of  the church.  Desiring  a  church  whose  design  would  be  both  beautiful  and  sturdy,  Fr. Manawatao  commissioned  an  architect  to  draw  up plans  of a church. Plans  were set for the  project  to  take  off  by  November  of  2008.  With  only  meager  resources  at  hand,  the pastor made a mission appeal to the good people of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish of Ormoc, thanks to the assistance and approval of its parish priest, Msgr. Bernardo Pantin.

Having  enlisted  the  aid  of  an  architect,  Fr.  Manawatao  envisioned  a  church building that was circular in shape. As the years progressed, with the help of his people he was able to commence in making this vision a reality by erecting the main pillars that would  support  the  whole  edifice.  The  old  chapel  of  Dapdap  continued  to  be  used  in  the meantime for Mass and other acts of worship and devotion.

While plans and works for the new church were progressing, the mission also grew in  terms  of  pastoral  programs  and  in  ministries.  By  this  time  the  Basic  Ecclesial Community program was slowly being implemented in some areas of the mission station; lay liturgical ministries were growing as well.

The  end  of  2010  signaled  new  changes  for  the  whole  archdiocese  as  Archbishop Palma announced new assignments for the clergy. After four frenetic and fruitful years of pastoral ministry, Fr. Manawatao ended his term as pastor of the mission and took leave of Dapdap as he headed for his new pastoral assignment in Kiling, Tanauan, to take the helm of the Divine Lord and Savior Mission Station. Fr. AL CRIS BAD ANA arrived to take his  place,  and  was  installed  as  priest-in-charge  on  February  2011,  inheriting  the challenges which his predecessor faced. Aside from the usual pastoral chores, he had to continue with the construction of the church, which was still in its infant stage. After much study, he decided to add a central, rectangular nave to the circular form of the plan, with two others at the sides. With the sanctuary space placed at the other end, the result was a cruciform church, expanding the area of the building. He bolstered the existing posts and commenced  the  construction  of  the  sanctuary,  raising  a  high  wall  of  reinforced  concrete founded  upon  a  raised  platform.  Iron  trusses  were  to  be  placed  in  order  to  support  the roof  of  the  area.  It  was  the  first  part  to  be  erected,  and  since  then  the  more  solemn celebrations marking the life of the mission were to be held there: the feast of the Nativity of  the  Blessed  Virgin  (Sept.  8),  and  the  patronal  feast  of  the  Virgin  of  the  Miraculous Medal  (Nov.  27).  These  celebrations  would  draw  huge  crowds  from  all  over  the  mission; each barangay would be well-represented and would erect their own tents around the lot. Mass—celebrated by the Archbishop—would be offered at the sanctuary of the unfinished church, after which lunch would be had and a program would be held. At this time the old chapel continued to be used for ordinary Masses and acts of devotion.

Fr.  Badana  stayed  as  pastor  of  Dapdap  for  a  bit  more  than  a  year.  The  new Archbishop of Palo, Most Rev. John F. Du (Palma having been transferred as Archbishop of Cebu in 2011) thought it ideal for him to be assigned as a formator at the Sacred Heart Seminary.  And  so  on  April  2013  he  handed  over  the  reins  of  pastoral  care  to  Rev.  Fr. ALBERT CLYDE AÑOVER.

Growth amid crisis:
Yolanda and Covidl9 (2013 to present time)

The new pastor was still in the process of settling into his new task and getting to know  his  flock  when  calamity  struck,  one  that  would  change  the  fortunes  of  everyone  in the  whole  Leyte  area.  Supertyphoon  Yolanda  (international  codename  Haiyan)  struck  the province  on  Nov.  8,  2013,  wreaking  havoc  upon  the  whole  province  that  comprised  the Archdiocese  of  Palo.  The  strongest  typhoon  in  recorded  history,  it  caused  incredible damage to property and at a high cost of human lives. Over 6,000 people were killed, and the  incredibly  strong  winds  toppled  most  of  the  buildings  and  structures  of  the  area.  All but  very  few  church  were  heavily  damaged.  The  concrete  sanctuary  constructed  by  Fr. Badana  was  no  match  for  the  winds,  which  brought  it  all  crashing  down  to  the  ground. The roof of the rectory’—one of the few high structures in the area—was blown away. Fr. Anover and the staff who were with him during the typhoon sought refuge in what became one of the most secure places during that time, the bathroom under the main stairs that led up to the second floor. There they braved the howling  winds. Many people were not so lucky to have survived. When  the  typhoon  passed,  everyone  would  have  to  deal  with  the  aftermath.  Fr. Anover  rose  to  the  task,  and  aided  by  his  predecessor,  who  in  the  meantime  had  been appointed  by  the  Archbishop  to  head  the  relief  operations  of  the  local  church  (which would later become the Relief and Rescue Unit of the Archdiocese), and led the mission in this hour of great need and unspeakable human suffering. With the destruction of what they had gained up until that point, work on the new church had been pushed back to the starting point. They were able to seek assistance from Caritas Philippines, one among the many relief and assistance institutions that came to the aid of the typhoon victims. A small chapel  was  built  upon  the  ruins  of  the  sanctuary,  which  provided  enough  space  for worship. But it soon proved to be too small, and so with all the resources that they could muster,  a  bigger,  semicircular  structure  was  built  and  attached  to  the  front  of  the  said CARITAS  chapel,  which  eventually  served  as  a  sacristy.  This  semicircular  structure  was roofed, its floor raised, and its walls installed with iron grills to make it secure, with iron- wrought  doors  at  the  entrances.  They  utilized  some  of  the  existing  pillars.  This  was something which largely strayed from the original plan, but it rose in great part due to the need of the present moment. With this, the old chapel—built upon a parcel of land owned by a local family—was abandoned.

It took a while for the people to recover from Yolanda, but they received an added boost when Pope Francis visited the Archdiocese of Palo on January 17,2015. Both pastor and  faithful  of  the  mission  station  counted  themselves  among  the  more  than  300,000 who  were  gathered  at  tarmac  of  the  Daniel  Z.  Romualdez  Domestic  Airport,  braving  the cold winds and rain as another typhoon threatened the whole province on the precise day of  the  visit.  But  the  Pope’s  will  to  be  with  the  typhoon  victims—the  main  reason  for  his apostolic  journey  to  the  Philippines—prevailed,  and  he  celebrated  Mass  in  the  midst  of the strong winds and cold rain. It was a blessing for the local church, which at that time continued to struggle to rise again from the ruins of Yolanda’s destruction.

After the papal visit, life continued its hectic pace. In the mission, it carried on as usual.  The  normal  round  of  Christian  life,  punctuated  by  feasts  and  holy  days,  helped people to rise and recuperate. In the midst of this rhythm of re-growth, Fr. Anover came to  the  end  of  his  term  as  pastor  of  Dapdap.  His  was  the  merit  of  having  constructed  a definitive place of worship in the lot already own by the mission, one that was occasioned by a natural and human calamity. Requested by the Archbishop, he had agreed to be sent to the U.S. to help serve in the Archdiocese of Louisville, in Kentucky, initially for a period of three years. To succeed him, Archbishop Du chose Rev. Fr. MARK IVO A. VELASQUEZ, a  seminary  formator,  as  the  new  pastor  of  Dapdap.  The  announcement  was  made  on March of 2017, and Fr. Velasquez was installed as priest-in-charge on May 10 of that same year.

The  new  pastor  quickly  understood  that  part  of  his  mandate  was  to  oversee  the continuity  of  the  task  that  his  predecessors  had  assumed.  With  the  marks  of  the  recent calamity still visible, he set about continuing the work of improving the facilities of the mission station. He placed a new ceiling in the second floor of the rectory, improved the kitchen  and  covered  the  rest  of  the  ground  floor  with  tiles,  as  well  as  the  staircase.  A terrace  was  furthermore  constructed  by  the  entrance  of  the  rectory,  allowing  for  another access to and from the second floor, and which could serve as a garage for the pastor’s vehicle. He raised funds in order to endow the church with wooden pews. By September of 2017 the church was furnished with 40 wooden pews, financed thanks to the generosity of  the  faithful  and  benefactors.  The  furniture  shop  of  the  late  Virgilio  Vergara  and  his family was very much instrumental in the success of this endeavor. The next improvement was to have the whole church painted and this was done sometime in 2018; the upper part of the structure near the iron trusses were covered up in order to prepare for the ceiling work  of  the  church.  Furthermore,  the  existing  lampposts  in  the  property  were  enhanced so as to give better nighttime illumination.

Further  significant  projects  came  in  2019:  a  pillar  topped  by  an  iron  cross  was erected  in  front  of the  church,  upon a  raised  concrete  platform  which also  featured  a 4- foot image of the Virgin of the Miraculous Medal. It took the whole Lent of 2019 to build it, so as to be ready for Holy Week, for the Blessing of Palms on Passion Sunday of Holy Week was to be done there. This monument, christened as the Holy Cross Shrine (since Dapdap’s  titular  was  that  of  the  Holy  Cross),  was  solemnly  blessed  on  the  eve  of  the barangay  fiesta  of  Dapdap,  May  10,  2019.  Later  on  in  that  year,  another  devotional structure was erected near the side of the church, a shrine that contained an image of the Holy Face of Jesus on one side, and an icon of St. Michael the Archangel on the other. This in turn was blessed by Archbishop Du himself during one of the novena Masses for the patronal feast on November 2019.

Growth was also seen in terms of the Christian formation of the people and in the celebration of the sacraments. Great care was placed in the celebration of the liturgy. Fr. Velasquez  continued  the  pastoral  programs  that  had  been  put  in  place  by  his predecessors.  By  the  second  year  of  his  term  the  number  of  lay  liturgical  ministers  had increased,  both  among  EMHCs,  lectors,  and  altar  servers.  It  was  emphasized  that  they took  formation  both  for  their  own  personal  growth  as  well  as  for  their  service  to  the community.

Towards end of 2019, some soul-searching was made in order to see as to whether it  was  already  the  moment  to  ask  for  the  mission,  having  come  to  maturity,  to  be recognized as a parish. After making some prudent inquiries both from his colleagues and the people in the mission, Fr. Velasquez announced that work would have to commence for  this  end.  Encouraged  and  advised  by  the  kind  parish  priest  of  Alangalang,  Rev.  Fr. Manuel  Abrenio,  he  worked  to  secure  the  requirements  needed  for  the  process.  The faithful  from  all  parts  of  the  mission  were  convoked  and  the  First  Pastoral  Assembly  of the  mission  station  was  celebrated  on  February  1,  2020.  It  was  a  signal  event  that convened  the  lay  leaders  from  the  various  barangays  and  sitios  that  comprised  the mission; it was meant to let them see how, with the grace of God and in the light of the Gospel, the Church in the mission had to grow and live. The next day, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the formal petition to the Archbishop to make the mission a full- fledged  parish  was  signed  and  launched.  The  target  was  to  get  to  have  the  canonical erection celebrated in time for the patronal feast of the Mission Station on November 27, 2020.

But  what  2020 would  turn out to be would set aside any plans for establishment. As early as December of 2019, news of a mysterious new virus in the city of Wuhan, China was spreading. By February of 2020, the contagion had spread and had arrive at our very doorstep,  rapidly  becoming  a  global  threat.  By  mid-March,  the  whole  country—like  the rest  of  the  world—found  itself  under  lockdown  in  order  to  quell  the  threat  of  the  novel corona virus, later named COVID19. It was a time of great apprehension, anxiety, doubt. Both  pastor  and  faithful  faced  the  threat  together.  Under  lockdown,  no  Masses  with congregations  were  permitted  from  March  15  onwards,  until  restrictions  were  eased.  The nevertheless,  it  was  decided  that  the  celebration  of  the  Feast  of  St.  Joseph  were  to  be celebrated, as one final prayer done in community for everyone’s safety. The church was packed  with  the  faithful,  to  whom  were  given  Miraculous  Medals  and  scapulars  as spiritual  aids  against  the  evil  that  had  to  be  faced.  The  Holy  Week  liturgy  had  to  be transmitted  virtually  thru  social  media  platforms.  But  by  May  restrictions  somewhat eased,  and  the  faithful—a  reduced  number  due  to  safety  health  protocols—were  present for the feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1. The barrio May fiesta celebrations were modified  somewhat in  order to observe the essential safety health  protocols that were in place on one hand, and on the other, the festive nature of the occasion. This same balance had  to  be  ascertained  in all  of the major celebrations  all throughout the year. Despite of the  many  difficulties  due  to  the  global  pandemic,  the  mission  station  stood  firm  and continued in its growth.

When  things  got  to  be  more  or  less  stable,  the  efforts  made  in  view  of  the establishment  of  the  parish  were  taken  up  once  again.  With  the  prospect  of  a  clergy reshuffling  of  assignments  in  mid-2021,  the  Archbishop  made  known  to  Fr.  Velasquez  of his design that the work on the parish establishment of the mission station be completed beforehand.  With  the  episcopal  go-signal,  work  resumed,  and  as  of  this  writing,  is  now nearing to an end of the preparatory phase.

Conclusion

The eventual canonical erection of the Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish of Dapdap, Alangalang, tentatively slated for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, is by no means the end  of  this  story;  on  the  contrary,  it  merely  opens  a  new  chapter  in  the  history  of  the Church in this part of the Archdiocese. Like the history of the Church itself, it is a story of grace, and of cooperation to that grace. The mercy and grace of God is such that not even the sins and failings of the members of the Church render it powerless to shape the sands of our time. It is the continued prayer of this community of believers, that under the loving protection of the Immaculate Mother of God, it may continue to grow and flourish to the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

(The revision of this account has been made possible thanks to an earlier one written for a fiesta program of the mission station by the late Aurora Decena. The account from 2011 up to the present had been added by Fr. Mark Ivo A. Velasquez.)

Dapdap, February 5, 2021