The humanitarian arm of the Catholic Church on Tuesday has appealed to the faithful for additional support for the victims of Super Typhoon Karding (Noru) to help them immediately recover.

Caritas Philippines has already activated its “Alay Kapwa” solidarity appeal last week to all dioceses for them to better respond to the basic needs of those affected which are emergency shelter, food, and water.

It has initially provided funds to augment rapid response and assessment.

Last Sept. 25, Karding reached the super typhoon category after a period of explosive intensification and severely affected at least three dioceses — Infanta, Cabanatuan, and Malolos.

The faithful may deposit their solidarity contributions to:

Account Name: CBCP Caritas Filipinas Foundation, Inc.

Bank of the Philippine Islands: 4951-007116

Metrobank: 632-7-632-028586

Banco de Oro: 0045-0803419-2

Meanwhile, the Caritas Philippines also launched Simbayanihan, a church-led grassroots movement on moral recovery and solidarity for good governance.

Fr. Tony Labiao, executive secretary of the group, and national convenor of Simbayanihan, “the original sin of corruption is vote buying, thus Simbayanihan was designed to address the issue by 1] forming and supporting principled politics and politicians, and 2] by creating critical vigilance among communities.”

On the other hand, Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, national director of Caritas Philippines, said they hope to bridge the gap between faith and justice.

“By taking part in concrete social action works on ecology, justice and peace, and good governance,” he said during the launch at the Caritas Philippines Academy in Tagaytay City on Monday.

Fr. Rex Paul Arjona, one of the convenors of Simbayanihan, described that “the church-led movement is focused on linking existing good governance and community development programs through organization and partnership building (ugnayan), training and formation for responsible citizenship (kalakbayan), and principled cooperation with government (bayanihan).”

Aside from Caritas Philippines, the 85 diocesan social action centers and other church organizations, Agri Partylist, the Quezon City Government, and the People Power Volunteers for Reform are also part of the convening groups.

“We always believe in the influence of the church to effect community empowerment and development, which is vital in ensuring that government programs are enforced properly, and maximized fully,” according to Agri Partylist Congressman Wilbert Lee.

Simbayanihan will be launched at the regional and diocesan levels in the coming months, involving the civil society, government, and private organizations, through the social action clusters and centers. (PNA)