‘Global Day of Prayer’ for human rights Dec. 11

Protest Rally at San Jose, Tinian, CNMI, USA last Nov. 30. CONTRIBUTED

SAIPAN — Members of various groups in different parts of the world will “hold hands in prayer” on December 11 in “view of the Philippines and the Filipino people are currently facing,” a press statement for the groups announced.

Dubbed as “Araw ng Panalangin Para sa Katotohanan, Katarungan at Demokrasya” the global initiative is a collaboration of BAYANi – Bayan Bago Sarili, Global Coalition of Filipinos for Good Governance (GCF4GG), Filipino American Human Rights Alliance (FAHRA) and U. S. Pinoys for Good Governance.

“The global day of prayer is meant to seek Divine mercy and intervention for the social and political challenges the Philippines is currently facing especially with the blatant attempt to revise history with the burial of Marcos in the National Heroes’ Cemetery, the continuing disregard for human rights with the escalating cases of extrajudicial killings and the seeming total disregard for democratic processes in running the government,” states Dr. Celia Lamkin, co-founder and Chairperson of BAYANi- Bayan Bago Sarili.

“We also call on the rest of our fellow Filipinos to pause and join us in prayer in their respective homes, places of work and worship,” says Edwin Calawod, co-founder and Vice- chair of BAYANi- Bayan Bago Sarili.

Protest rally against burial of Marcos at Heroes cemetery Nov. 30 in Saipan. Protest Rally at San Jose, Tinian, CNMI, USA last Nov. 30. CONTRIBUTED

The event in the Philippines will be held at Our Lady of Loreto Parish Church in Sampaloc, Manila, at 9:15 a.m. and at other churches in Metro Manila.

There will be masses and Sunday services in Saipan, Tinian and Rota, CNMI, Guam, American Samoa, United states, Japan, Australia and Europe.

As of December 3, there have been over 5,800 deaths, both from legitimate police operations and vigilante-style or unexplained killings. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s aggressive crackdown on drugs, has been criticized by various human rights groups because it includes the use of death squads acting outside the formal legal system.  Even the White House has denounced Duterte’s war on drugs, saying that his policies are not the right way to address the country’s drug problem.

The last straw that put administration critics on their toes was the instruction of Duterte on December 3 for Vice President Leni Robredo to “desist” from attending Cabinet meetings, pushing her to resign from the Cabinet effective Dec. 5.

Supporters of Robredo fear that the latter was eased out of the Cabinet to pave way for the return of a Marcos in the government, son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., her closest vice presidential race opponent.