Aid Sought for Victims of Philippine Fire

"Whole families gripped the metal grilles in terror, weeping and calling for help as firefighters doused them with water to try to cool them down," reported the Philippine Daily Inquirer. A pre-dawn fire that ripped through the six-story Quezon City Manor Hotel Saturday killed at least 75 people and injured at least 41 more.

Bureau of Fire Protection officials said it was the deadliest hotel fire ever in the Philippines, and the worst such disaster since a 1996 discotheque blaze killed 160 people. Investigators were looking at a possible short circuit as the cause of the blaze. The hotel's owner was being sought as officials said the security bars, lack of fire alarms and inadequate escape routes may have contributed to the deaths.

Sixty-nine of the 78 dead and a majority of those seriously injured are evangelical pastors and church workers from various areas who were attending a conference organized by Don Clowers Ministries of Texas. A total of 168 evangelists were staying at the budget hotel to attend the "Destiny Conference" crusade.

"Bon, 25, a born-again Christian from Palawan, shouted to God as she hung on for dear life to the iron window grilles of the burning hotel, the pavement far below her," reported the Philippine Daily Inquirer. "She hung there for several minutes, and even thought about climbing back into her smoke-filled room to get her Bible in her bag. Below her, on the street, spectators yelled, 'Don't let go! The firemen are here!'"

Bon was rescued, and a shopkeeper brought her to her house to comfort her and give her a change of clothes. "Before she left us, Bon prayed with us and gave thanks. I told her that it was all right since we should always help those in need," the shopkeeper said.

But prayers of thanksgiving soon mixed with prayers for the dead. Nearby residents heard cries for help and watched helplessly in horror while the victims gripped the window grilles of the six-story building, or simply jumped to their death.

Witness Willie Gatchalian saw four other people fall to their death before firemen arrived. The only survivor he saw was a woman who was able to climb down using sheets tied together. He said one woman on the street who had escaped from the fire was hysterical. "She was shouting hallelujah repeatedly while she stared at the burning building," he said.

Eugene Schwebler, 60, a Clowers follower from Wisconsin, said he tried to flee his fourth-floor room but that heat turned him back. To get to the fire escape, he had to pull an air conditioner out of the wall.

At the religious conference Sunday, about 8,000 people waved their arms in the air, singing and praying for victims and their families. Though the Philippines is predominantly Roman Catholic, evangelical ministries are often popular among the poor.

"Filipinos are very open to the gospel," says Stephen Van Valkenburg, Christian Aid's director for the Philippine area and Southeast Asia. "As long as they understand that salvation is not by works - it's a free gift - then they are open."

According to the Mandaluyong Pastors Association in Manila, leading church-growth researchers and Christian leaders agree that one of the longest and most fruitful Christian awakenings is happening in the Philippines.

The number of evangelical Christians has grown at a consistent rate of 8 to 10 percent per year over the last 22 years, and the number of evangelical churches is now estimated at 29,000. Chito Navarro, a leader with the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) points out that some 33 percent of the Philippine villages have an evangelical church.

PCEC's National Church Planting Program was created as a way of establishing valuable networks and support resources among the evangelical denominations, churches, and ministries. Among these are a partnership with major denominations and mission groups; a network of Philippine evangelists with over 400 registered members nationwide; a network of ministerial fellowships in nine of the 12 regions in the Philippines, and a partnership with the Far East Broadcasting Company, which is the leading Christian radio station in the Philippines.

The Don Clowers Ministry, associated with Grace Family Church in Irving, Texas, has a special ministry in the Philippines designed to "touch hearts and change lives through helping at feeding centers, providing medical supplies, and ministering one-on-one to personal needs."

"Pastor Clowers has been going to the Philippines for a number of years," says Gloria Walters, an associate pastor at Grace Family Church who was fielding media calls Monday. "He is on television in Southeast Asia and also runs a ministry specifically for Filipino pastors. Some 40,000 people were projected to attend the Destiny Conference Crusade this past weekend."

Walters says that "because of the difficulties in communicating with the Philippines, we do not have a lot more information than has been reported on the news. However, we, as a congregation, have been praying for all those whose lives have been touched by this tragedy."
Clowers, who was in Manila with his wife and son, asked for donations for the victims and said he would cover some expenses related to the fire, but he did not give details.

A number of the victims were couples, hence, leaving their children orphans. The Quezon City government promised to shoulder only the autopsy and embalming expenses; the rest (e.g. transportation, burial expenses, etc) will be taken care of by the families.

Bishop Efraim Tendero, national director of PCEC, issued this call for help: "As members of the Body of Christ, we want not only to sympathize with our brethren but also to extend concrete help to them, especially financially. Thus, we urge you to give sacrificially for their immediate and long-term needs."

Christian Aid Ministries is willing to collect and pass on all offerings of help. Checks should be made payable to Christian Aid Mission and designated for "Gift Code PCEC". All such gifts would be tax-deductible and would be transmitted quickly, since they have a Manila-based field office.

To donate online or for more information, please visit Christian Aid