At the Office of the Mayor of Guiuan

This week the Monk Philip (Balingit) paid a courtesy visit to the Mayor and Vice-Mayor of Guiuan, the municipality responsible for the island of Tubabao. Photos below show photos and commemorative plaques in memory of the hospitality the Filipinos showed to the 5,000 Russian refugees fleeing China sixty years ago. There remains to this day a memory of connection between the descendants of these refugees and the Filipino people.

During this visit the Mayor also kindly signed a Municipal Certification in support of the rebuilding of the Chapel of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God. This chapel was built in 2013 on the site where St John Maximovitch formerly served the Divine Liturgy, but was destroyed in last November’s typhoon. As God has provided, we have been able to provide some support and blessing to the people of Tubabao; in future we hope to rebuild the chapel and establish regular visits to bless and care for the people of Tubabao.