TACLOBAN CITY — Ground has been broken on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Tacloban City Philippines Temple on Friday.The temple will be constructed onto a 6.99-acre site on Tacloban Bypass Road in Utap-Caibaan Village.The gathering on Saturday was attended by local government officials, interfaith leaders, presidents of higher edu-cation institutions, and military and police officials.Elder Michael Strong, first counselor of the Philippines Area of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offi-ciated over the ceremony.He was accompanied by Waray and Cebuano-speaking Latter-day Saints from six provinces in Eastern Visayas, as well as pioneer members of the Philippines' increasing church membership.'Now, a little over 11 years after Typhoon Yolanda, this community is rebuilt and thriving,' Strong said during his keynote speech.'With that growth, we are blessed to be here for the purpose of breaking ground for the construction of another temple,' he added.The church has grown from a few members in 1,961 to over 876,000 followers nationwide.The Tacloban City Philippines Temple will be the eighth of 13 temples in the country.The 12 other temples are under construction, or are already operational in Alabang, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Ce-bu City, Davao, Iloilo, Laoag, Manila, Naga, Santiago, Tuguegarao City and Urdaneta.The two-story structure will have an area of 21,407 square feet.There will also be an auxiliary facility that will hold an arrival center, patron housing and a distribution center.Latter-day Saint temples are distinct from the meetinghouses or chapels where members come together for Sun-day worship sessions.
