'Crying' image creates stir among Cebuanos

CEBU CITY - The image of St. Monica at the Basilica del Santo Niño shed what appeared to be tears the other day, creating a stir among those who were there to welcome the relics of another saint, St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

The phenomenon was first noticed shortly after noon, almost immediately after the relics of St. Therese arrived.

Meanwhile, an MG 520 Air Force helicopter, on its way to escort the visiting relics of St. Therese of the Child Jesus to Cebu, crash-landed the other day at the Manila Memorial Park in Liloan.

The aircraft plummeted 300 feet but its crew of three survived unhurt, prompting Air Force officials to call the incident a miracle.

The statue of St. Monica is displayed among those of other saints near the chapel housing the Santo Niño.

Church authorities refused to call the phenomenon a miracle, saying it will still be subjected to intense investigation.

But there was no denying that the eyes of the statue of St. Monica glistened with some form of moisture, witnesses said.

A young couple first noticed the moisture in the eyes of the St. Monica statue shortly before 1 p.m., said Vitaliano Bacho, 23, a utilityman at the basilica.

The couple first thought it was just a reflection of light but Bacho said when he turned off the lights just to check, he found out that there was really some moisture in the eyes of the image.

More people began to notice the moisture and when the moisture started to form globules and stream in small rivulets down the cheeks of the image, larger crowds began to gather in amazement.

The tears on the statue's cheeks reportedly started streaming just as the relics of St. Therese left the basilica at 3 p.m. for its next stop at the nearby Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.