Duterte urges Filipino Muslims to keep partnering with govt
Credit to Author: CATHERINE S. VALENTE, TMT| Date: Wed, 05 Jun 2019 16:16:32 +0000
President Rodrigo Duterte urged the Muslim community to continue partnering with the government in promoting peace and understanding among Filipinos as the country marked the end of Ramadan.
In his Eid’l Fitr message on Wednesday, President Duterte called on all Filipino Muslims, whom he described as “instruments of love, respect and selfless service,” to use the celebration as a time for enlightenment.
“May all Muslim Filipinos observe this day as a time for reflection, enlightenment and renewal of commitment to a much stronger devotion to the Almighty,” he said.
“Take this as an opportunity to deepen your role as instruments of love, sacrifice, respect and selfless service and may each of you remain our government’s partner in promoting peace and understanding among Filipinos from all walks of life.”
“I wish you an inspiring and meaningful Eid’l Fitr,” said Duterte, the first president to come from Mindanao, which is home to the country’s Muslim minority.
Muslims make up around 6 percent of the Philippines’ 100 million people, according to official data.
Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, meanwhile, called on the public to pray for Marawi victims and the Muslim community in the Bangsamoro region as they marked the end of the Ramadan fasting month.
She lauded Filipino Muslims for their “value for selfless sacrifice, genuine compassion for others and spirit of generosity.”
“We pray for our brothers and sisters from Marawi, who are still suffering and unable to return to their homes for two years now since the siege,” Robredo added.
“We continue to pray for peace in the Bangsamoro region, especially as it transitions into a new era.”
Marawi was largely destroyed in 2017 after Muslim militants attempted to take over the city. It remains in ruins two years later and Robredo has questioned the government’s handling of the rebuilding effort.
Senators also called on all Filipinos to reflect on the significance of the Muslim holiday.
Sen. Loren Legarda, co-author of Republic Act 9177 or the “Act Declaring Eid’l Fitr a National Holiday,” said, “As a feast of great importance to Muslims, the Eid’l Fitr has become a familiar occasion even to our Catholic-dominated nation.”
“We hope that beyond familiarity, the observance of this holiday would foster deeper understanding among Filipinos regardless of faith or religious belief,” she said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel 3rd said, “The blessed month of Ramadan not only extols the values of self-sacrifice and self-restraint but also promotes forgiveness, charity, peace, and unity so that hatred or vengeance will not be done.”
Sen. Francis Pangilinan, for his part, said, “Let’s use this opportunity to draw strength from the teachings of Islam to be brave and persevering amid the everyday challenges we face.”
WITH REPORTS FROM GLEE JALEA AND BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO
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