Rescuers have reportedly recovered at least 800 bodies and over 300 more people in Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Quezon and Camarines Sur were still missing after typhoons "Unding," "Violeta," "Winnie" and "Yoyong" ripped through Luzon one after the other.
The Pope’s expression of sympathy was contained in a Dec. 3 letter signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano and sent to Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
"The Holy Father was saddened by the news of the great loss of life caused by the typhoons and floods which have struck the Philippines, and he asked you kindly to express his sympathy to the civil and religious authorities and all affected by this disaster," Sodano wrote.
His letter also stated that "with prayers for the victims and their families, (the Holy Father) asks Almighty God to grant peace and consolation to the homeless, the suffering and those involved in the difficult task of relief."
Authorities said the catastrophe was caused by blatant illegal logging activities of unscrupulous individuals, prompting lawmakers to push for death penalty to be imposed on those proven to be illegal loggers.
With roads blocked by landslides, many rescuers trekked for hours or days through a landscape strewn with debris — uprooted trees, houses destroyed by the flash floods, and bloated bodies of those who were not able to flee.
For those who survived, their ordeal is not yet over. Many of them do not have enough food to eat, and old clothes are at a premium in various evacuation centers.
Some of the survivors have also become ill from exposure to the elements, from wounds sustained during their flight, as well as from lack of food and drinking water.
Hundreds of families, already grieving for relatives who died during the height of the typhoons, also face bleak prospects for the next year. Many of them earned a living from farms that now lie buried under tons of mud.