PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte prayed that the country would be saved from illegal drugs, criminality and corruption in his Easter Sunday message.
“I join the rest of the Christian world as we celebrate the fulfillment of the Resurrection three days after the passion and death of Jesus Christ on the Cross,” Duterte said.
In other developments:
• The week-long commemoration of Holy week was relatively peaceful nationwide with no violent incidents except for the bloody encounter in Bohol that resulted in the killing of five terrorists and four lawmen last Tuesday.
Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa ordered all regional police commanders to help motorists returning to work.
• Around 60 families were rendered homeless after a fire engulfed 40 houses in Caloocan City at dawn on Sunday.
• Over a billion Muslims across the globe adhered to their belief that Jesus did not die on the cross but was spared.
Three western writers cited the “probability of a substitution” as stated in the Qur’an to argue that Christ neither fell in humiliation nor died on the cross.
Duterte said the story of the Risen Christ “is a message of perseverance and faith in the grief of Black Saturday. Christ’s Resurrection should inspire us to achieve our collective aspirations through our unwavering devotion.
“May this occasion be a reminder to Filipinos that our country deserves salvation from drugs, criminality and corruption that have long plagued this nation and that our people will rise and thriumph over society’s ills.
“Let the promise of Easter be our guide as we build a progressive, inclusive and independent nation where the government and the people work together to attain peace, justice, safety and security for all.”
Duterte has waged a bloody war on crime and illegal drugs that has killed thousands of people, according to human rights organizations.
He spent the Holy Week on state visits to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar where he met with Middle Eastern leaders to discuss investments and the concerns of Filipino workers.
Duterte is is expected to return to the Philippines and arrive at the Davao International Airport early Monday morning. With Francisco Tuyay, Jun David and Nash B. Maulana