5 Bohol quake victims to dine with Pope Francis

Five survivors who suffered greatly from last year's magnitude-7.2 quake that devastated Bohol province have been chosen to dine with Pope Francis when he visits the Philippines in January next year.

 

The Tagbilaran Diocese said its exhaustive search for the five "lucky" survivors was based on how badly the quake affected them, Church-run Radyo Veritas reported.

 

"Yung ... experience niya like yung malapit na mamamatay, naputulan ng paa, naputulan ng kamay. Yun isa siya na lang naiwan lahat patay yun mga ganoon," Fr. Felix Salise, social action center director of the Tagbilaran diocese, told Church-run Radyo Veritas Tuesday.

 

He did not name the survivors for security reasons but hinted some of them lost body parts or nearly died, while some lost their entire families to the quake.

 

Salise also said the survivors came from parishes that sustained great damage from the quake. These include:

 

 

Aside from the five quake survivors, 20 survivors of super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) are to have lunch with Pope Francis at the Archbishop's Residence in Palo, Leyte on Jan. 17. — Joel Locsin/RSJ, GMA News