President Duterte has expressed hopes that Easter may remind Filipinos that our country deserves salvation from drugs, criminality, and corruption that have long plagued the nation.
In his Easter Sunday message, President Duterte said the story of the Risen Christ is a message of perseverance and faith in the grief of Black Saturday. And he hopes that Filipinos can find inspiration, be reminded and guided while celebrating the fulfillment of Resurrection.
“Christ’s resurrection should inspire us to achieve our collective aspirations through our unwavering devotion,” he said.
He also hopes that Easter may remind Filipinos that the country needs salvation from the issues that long plagued it and the people will rise and triumph over society’s ills.
He also hopes that the promise of Easter be everyone’s guide as the government and people work together to build a progressive, inclusive, and independent nation; and attain peace, justice, safety, and security.
“Isang maligayang Pasko ng Pagkabuhay sa lahat ng ating mga kababayan!” he concluded.
President Duterte is scheduled to spend most of Easter Sunday in Doha, Qatar, as he concludes his week-long state visit to three countries in the Middle East.
President Duterte spent Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he signed three agreements and announced the promise of bringing home runaway Filipino workers.
He spent Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in Manama, Bahrain, where he signed four agreements to boost ties between the two countries.
Lastly, he spent Good Friday and Black Saturday in Doha Qatar where he signed three agreements related to health, culture, and technical and vocational education.
President Duterte also met with the members of the Filipino communities during his visit to the three countries and addressed their issues at hand.
The Department of Foreign Affairs had earlier explained that President Duterte’s state visit to the Middle East was not deliberately scheduled during the Holy Week but it was the only date “mutually convenient for both parties.”
Meanwhile, Balanga (Bataan) Bishop Ruperto C. Santos reminded the faithful to commemorate Easter as “a celebration of the sacredness of life… (that) even if there are sufferings and sickness, even when we have problems or are in pain, even if we failed, we can still rise up.”
“We can still renew our ways and change for the better. Jesus triumphed over death. Jesus has surpassed all the hurts and hardships. Jesus has risen,” stressed Bishop Santos, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (CBCP-ECMI).
“Easter reminds us to live a life of hope, of fidelity to God, and of total commitment to His divine plan. Easter confirms that the resurrection of Jesus is also our rising to a new life. Jesus is our resurrection,” added the bishop.
The prelate reminded the faithful of the value of life and self-renewal because every life, he said, is God-given.
“Like Jesus, with His resurrection, there is now new beginning for us, another chance and fresh opportunities for us. We can make our life better and blessed. Any life could still be saved. All lives are meaningful and precious. It is because Jesus has ransomed us from death, and today, He has risen. As we celebrate with Jesus, we celebrate life. Easter is our new life in Jesus,” Santos said.
Considered as the foundation of the Christian faith, Easter Sunday is the greatest feast that renders complete the mystery of man’s salvation and redemption. It is the high point of the 40-day Lenten Season that began on Ash Wednesday, and the culmination of the Holy Week.
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