Millions of people from 63 nations convened online on Feb. 6 to call for the healing of the nation and the world at the Rally of Hope Philippines sponsored by the Universal Peace Federation, (UPF), an NGO holding general consultative status with the United Nations.
Dubbed as One Million People Praying for the Healing of the Nation and the World, the event was telecast on PTV 4 and was simultaneously livestreamed on radio, cable tv stations in different parts of the nation and in countries even as far as Fiji and other social media platforms.
World-class entertainment from Jed Madela, 4th Impact, Gerphil Flores, Reo Brothers, FCPC Baliktanaw, and the Philippine Meistersingers was showcased during the event as well messages of hope and inspiration from celebrities, political and religious leaders, youth leaders frontliners, and other social media personalities and influencers.
Inspired by the great vision of its Founder, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, who spoke during the event through her representative, Dr. Robert Kittel, the event highlighted the joint efforts of UPF and its partners to support the communities who were recently affected by the typhoons that struck the Philippines last year through theTrue Love in Action: TulongTulong Para sa Pagbangon Project. Dr. Moon herself offered her personal donation of $40,000 for this cause through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
In her speech, Dr. Moon commended the resolution of this rally that calls for the necessity of strengthening the foundation for character education for the youth and building stable loving families. She thanked H.E. President Rodrigo Duterte for his written message supporting the Rally of Hope and emphasizing the vital role of leaders and citizens alike to work together in order to build a strong and empowered global community that upholds the best interests of future generations.
Coinciding with the commemoration of the World Interfaith Harmony Week, the program started with an interfaith prayer offered by the leaders of different faiths in the country. Rev. Masaichi Hori, Co-Chairman of the UPF Asia Pacific, gave the welcome remarks while five-time Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, Hon. Jose De Venecia, Jr., gave his congratulatory remarks mentioning that in the face of these threats which transcend national, regional, and even hemispheric boundaries, there is a greater need for organizations like UPF to promote peace, solidarity, and cooperation.
Keynote speeches from world leaders including that of the Former Prime Minister of Fiji, H.E. Sitivenie Ligamamada Rabuka, and the Speaker of the House of the Assembly of the Republic of Kiribati, Tanagariki Reete Tekiaa were featured. H.E. Rabuka underscored the power of prayer in overcoming our present circumstance: “There is power in prayer. And when many people pray together, it is a powerful synergy for a purpose, mostly a positive purpose. I promise to pray for the healing of the people of the Philippines, the healing of the nation of the Philippines, and for the healing of the people of the world.”
Hon. Reete, for her part, boldly declared that “We are a team: rich, poor, developed, developing we are diverse but at the root, we are indeed one human family under God.”
Leaders of the Philippine government including Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Lord Allan Velasco, Secretary Martin Andanar of the PCOO, and Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, gave their special messages as well. The message for the Rally of Hope Philippines of H.E. Rodrigo Duterte was also read during the program.
The winner of the recent Asia Pacific S!NERGY competition organized by the International Association of Youth and Students for Peace also delivered an excerpt of her winning speech. In addition to that, the online event also highlighted the campaign to support the “Billion Tree Planting and Growing Project” to be done in partnership with the national and local government units.