On July 16, with the blessing of Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, Administrator of the Philippines-Vietnam Diocese, and with the blessing of Bishop Konstantin of Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk, pilgrims from the Irkutsk Metropolitanate, led by a cleric of the Bratsk Diocese, head of the pastoral care center of St. John of Shanghai, Priest Alexei Serebryakov, visited the site of the future church in honor of St. John of Shanghai on Tubabao Island, where Russian refugees lived in 1949-1951.
They were accompanied by the Secretary of the Philippines-Vietnam Diocese, Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), and representatives of the Department of Tourism of the city of Guiuan.
Priest Alexei, assisted by Hieromonk Korniliy, performed a prayer service with an akathist to St. John. Svetlana Matveyevskaya, the choirmaster of the Nativity of Christ Cathedral in Bratsk, and her choir sang during the service.
Then the congregation visited the site of the Russian refugee camp. The foundations of the buildings, including the Orthodox church, have been preserved to this day.
Then the pilgrims visited the barangay of Kamparang, where local residents celebrated the main holiday of the settlement that day. The guests were offered traditional Filipino dishes.
The next day, a meeting was held with the mayor of Guiuan, Annalisa Gonzalez-Kwan. Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), Priest Alexei Serebryakov, and the pilgrims took part in the conversation.
The head of the city spoke about the history of the presence of six thousand Russians in the Philippines in the last century, about plans for the comprehensive development of the island, including tourism. Priest Alexei noted the hospitality of the Filipinos and expressed gratitude for the hospitality, which, according to him, was also felt by the Russian refugees staying on the island.
