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The San Agustin Church in Intramuros, built from 1586 to 1607, may have survived the ravages of time and war but the convent originally built beside it was completely destroyed during WWII. It was reconstructed in the 1970s as a church museum and is another must-see for those interested in church history and religious iconography. This is the doorway to the museum and the carved wooden arch ornament looks old enough to have been salvaged from the ruins of the original convent. The pierced heart of Jesus figures prominently in the symbol of the Augustinians. The banner for Urdaneta 500 is a holdover from 2008 when the Augustinians and the town of Ordizia, Spain celebrated t! he 500th anniversary of the birth of Andres de Urdaneta, the explorer, navigator and Augustinian friar who was among the first five Catholic missionaries to arrive in the Philippines with Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

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Whatever your religion, faith or belief, please say a prayer for all those who lost loved ones, their homes and possessions during the terrible floods in Metro Manila and Luzon yesterday. Tropical storm “Ondoy” (international name “Ketsana”) lashed the northern part of the Philippines for more than twelve hours. Ondoy’s winds were relatively weak but the rainfall was staggering, resulting in extensive flooding in the metro. Many people are still stranded because the flood waters in certain areas haven’t receded yet. The Philippines experiences devastating typhoons every few years or so, but no matter how often it happens, coping with the destruction and losses never gets any easier.