DAVAO CITY—Forty days after the bloody explosion that killed 15 people, the City Government of Davao unveiled a memorial marker for the Roxas night market victims and survivors, on Tuesday afternoon.
The unveiling was led by Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, who designed the marker.
Duterte explained that the three layers of the memorial marker symbolize heaven, man and earth.
She said the marker was a labor of love that will keep alive the memory of those who died during the bombing.
“We want a marker that is labored so that we will never forget what happened, we put a living plant there because every day we will take good care of it, we will always remember what happened so that we will always be vigilant,” Duterte said.
The mayor said the marker will also remind the public to be vigilant at all times to prevent such senseless attacks.
“The tree symbolizes those who died during the incident,” she said.
Meanwhile, the marker symbolizes hope for the survivors of the September 2 bombing.
Angie Laura Grecia said she hopes the memorial marker will remind everybody of how the city stands up as one after the incident.
“I hope that this marker won’t rewind us of the pain, but how we stand up as one. Let us continue to pray for the souls of the victims and their families to help them move forward,” Grecia said.
Dennis Larrida, the husband of Melanie Faith and father of 12-year-old Deniel Josh, said he continues to pray for the wounded hearts of those who have lost their loved ones during the bombing and for those who were physically wounded.
“To the families of the victims and those who are still in the hospital, I pray that we all move on and don’t get affected or give up the fight against terrorism. Let’s move on, with the grace of God for He will never leave us,” he said.
