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Friday, March 29, 2024

Rody, Leni, Congress, SC spread message of hope

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As the Philippines celebrates Christmas amid the continuing threat of the coronavirus 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte joined his countrymen in marking the birth of Christ and to follow the lead of Jesus Christ in helping those in need.

President Duterte

“This year has been a trying time for all of us. Many lives were lost and forever changed due to COVID-19 pandemic and several natural calamities,” the President said in his message,adding “but through it all, we continue to survive and rise because of our unity, strength and indomitable spirit of (the) Filipinos.”

“Let us also allow Christ into our lives so that we could bring love and cheer not only to our families and friends but also to those who are most in need,” he said.

The President also wished that “ we all have a meaningful celebration and let us be hopeful for the better days ahead, saying “Maligayang Pasko sa ating lahat.”

Meanwhile, Malacanang called on all  Filipinos to extend more compassion, understanding, and patience to their fellowmen,this Christmas day.

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In his Christmas message, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the country “struggles to confront the various challenges that we faced this year.”

The pandemic and the natural disasters brought fear and sadness but during these difficult times, we heal and recover as one,” Roque said.

Amid these challenges, the Palace official said there were “silver linings” that Filipinos could be thankful for.

May this Christmas be filled with hope, peace and joy,” he said.

“As we celebrate this season, we call upon all Filipinos to remember to share our blessings to our brothers and sisters who have been badly affected by natural or personal tragedies,” Roque added.

Malacañang earlier said the President would spend Christmas with his family in his official residence in Davao City.

It is the fifth time Duterte will celebrate Christmas in Davao City since he became president in 2016.

During pre-COVID days, Duterte used to celebrate Christmas visiting young cancer patients at the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City.

Roque, however, did not mention Duterte’s possible activities on Christmas Day.

This year, Christmas celebrations are expected to be different amid a prevailing global pandemic.

As pandemic persists

Vice President Leni Robredo on Christmas Eve urged Filipinos to draw strength from one another as the COVID-19 pandemic persisted, urging her countrymen to connect with their loved ones and reminisce about the times they experienced joy and difficulties this year.

VP Robredo
 

She said “Let’s draw strength from one another. While the pandemic changed how we celebrate Christmas, it cannot diminish the importance of this day because no pandemic or disaster can overcome God’s love…No darkness can lead us astray because we’re each other’s light. Bayanihan will continue, hope and love will persist. Again, merry Christmas to Filipinos in all corners of the world.”

Senate President Sotto

From the Senate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, in his Christmas message crafted in Tagalog, said: “Amid the many difficulties we are going through…I pray that we will put to our hearts the essence of Christmas, not in giving of expensive gifts but, on the other hand, a demonstration of love and compassion to our fellowmen.

“May we go through the season in peace.”

From the House of Representatives, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said Congress had played a significant role in helping the Filipino people cope with the devastating effects of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Speaker Velasco

In his Christmas message, Velasco said “There was a time when all seemed hopeless, and we were left wondering if we will all be able to return to our daily routines. There are those who lost their jobs, while others lost their loved ones. I sincerely sympathize with you in these trying times.

“But there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it is getting brighter. We in Congress are doing everything we can to help us all meet that light…I assure our countrymen that we will do all we can to get us all back to our feet and experience the joy we all once had before this pandemic,” he added.

‘Safe Christmas’

Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta , in his Christmas message , said the Supreme Court wished the Filipino people “a joyful and safe Christmas,” adding “The universal season of joy and spirit of sharing are upon us once more. Traditionally, this is the time when family and friends come together to collectively commemorate the spirit of the Holidays.

“However, festivities this year will be expectedly different, as we will be observing the season amidst a global health crisis…This crisis has reminded all of us in more ways than one to be grateful for the things we have been blessed with: the company of good friends, the value of good health, and the unconditional love of one’s family.

“May we all strive to (have) this year a genuine celebration of hope, unity, and service for others. And may peace and love for one another reign in our hearts this season and beyond. ”

House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez himself said: “ This Yuletide season may not be the most joyous of our holiday celebrations, but this may yet turn out as the most memorable. 

Majority Leader Romualdez

“Even with the restrictions and limitations imposed on us to contain the spread of the epidemic, we have managed to survive and perform our missions in life with vigor.

“Our situation today has given us time to pause and reflect on what we have achieved so far and what we still need to do to help improve our people’s lives. 

“What I found special is our ability to stand tall despite the adversities and our innate nature to reach out to those in need in times of crisis.”

Procurement of vaccines

Also in the Senate, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said there should be no room for incompetence and ineptitude on the part of government officials, with the early procurement of COVID vaccines amid renewed government efforts to procure them from the United States is the focus of his wish for this Christmas.

“My Christmas wish is simple. I hope we Filipinos survive this pandemic, and we get the needed vaccines soonest,” Lacson said.

But he added the Cabinet, including vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., should help Health Secretary Francisco Duque III not by defending him in the media but by getting his job done.

He said that if there was something good that came out of Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s tweet about someone dropping the ball during the initial efforts to get vaccines, it was that the attention of those concerned had been called.

Good health

Sen. Christopher Go  also wishes good health for every Filipino amid the COVID-19 pandemic faced by his countrymen, stressing the best gift to loved ones was the gift of good health as expressed his deep-felt gratitude to the medical community for their service and sacrifice in battling the pandemic.

Sen. Nancy Binay-Angeles acknowledged that the year 2020 had been “challenging for all of us but despite the many trials, it is heartening to know that there are Filipinos who are always willing and ready to lend a hand and a heart whenever life gets rough.

“May we always find hope and joy in celebrating Christmas as we share our hearts full of compassion, and faith. So, let us share happiness and the love in our hearts to lift the spirits and improve the lives of those who have lost their homes, jobs, livelihood, and loved ones.”

On her fourth Christmas in detention, Opposition Senator Leila de Lima said she continued to wish for her freedom and vindication from what she called the trumped-up drug charges filed against her.

Aside from her personal wish for Yuletide, De Lima, the most prominent political prisoner under the Duterte regime, said she also wished for a free access to COVID-19 vaccines for all Filipinos and an end to the prevailing culture of violence and impunity in the country.

‘God is with us’

Despite the series of challenges this year, a Catholic Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Manila said Christmas “is an assurance that God is with the people.”

“We are no strangers to problems and difficulties. We do not know how these can be resolved, or at least averted. But Christmas assures us: God is with us. God has become man in order to share our journey in this life,” he said in his Christmas message.

 “The Immanuel is among us! Yes, we are beset by many problems. Many are still jobless. Uncertainties stare at us in the face. There is anger in the wake of violence, as the senseless killing of the mother and her son in Tarlac, and by a policeman at that. The vaccine which is supposed to be a solution to the pandemic is becoming a source of controversy,” the Manila auxiliary bishop added.

Meanwhile, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president Archbishop Romulo Valles is hoping that the country would be able to obtain the vaccine against the coronavirus disease 2019 for the population.

“It is true that there are now several vaccines available against COVID-19. Not courtesy of Isaiah the prophet, but of the pharmaceuticals Pfizer and Moderna. God willing, our government can soon obtain these vaccines and make them available to our people,” he said in his Christmas message.

Safety and healing

The Commission on Human Rights wished the Filipino people safety and healing.

“This year, while the coronavirus disease 2019 crisis reminds us of our shared fragility and vulnerabilities, it also underpins how everything and everyone is truly connected,” lawyer-spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said.

“We see that eradicating the pandemic in one community will never be achieved unless it is done in all communities; that the success and safety of our frontline workers are linked to our willingness to stay home; and that the efforts of the government, civil society, and individual citizens must be all guided by a shared commitment to put forward the human rights and dignity of everyone in coping with the health crisis,” she added.

She said the CHR echoed the call of the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres in his Human Rights Day address that people and human rights must be at the front and center of response and recovery, and that it was also high time for people to adhere to universal, rights-based frameworks. With PNA

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