CTK Parishioners Join CBCP’s Walk for Life at Luneta
Thousands of Catholics, including over 50 parishioners from Christ the King Parish Greenmeadows, joined a threehour pre-dawn march with church leaders around the Quirino Grandstand parade grounds in Rizal Park, Manila in one of the largest shows of opposition to President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly crackdown against illegal drugs and attempts to revive the death penalty. 20 of the 50-strong CTK contingent gathered as early as 3 am and Jilled up a tour bus from JKL Tours. The Christ the King PPC members who went included Amelia Alba, Sheryl Coronel, Louie Laudico, Irene Robles. CTK parish cook Adette prepared sandwiches and water for the bus travellers.
Police estimated that about 10,000 people joined the ‘Walk for Life’ march and prayer rally Saturday starting at dawn at the Rizal Park, carrying placards that read “Choose life”, “No to death penalty”, “No to the culture of death”, “Thou shalt not kill”. Organizers gave a much larger estimate of the crowd, citing 20,000 to as high as 50,000, coming from at least 21 Catholic dioceses in Luzon and from other Christian churches.
It was the latest sign of the Roman Catholic Church’s increasing activism against a government crackdown that has left thousands of drug suspects dead and efforts by pro-Duterte legislators to re-impose capital punishment as early as March. In early February, in its most s trongly worded at tack on the crackdown on drug pushers and users, a CBCP pastoral letter read out at services across the country said killing people was not the answer to trafficking of illegal drugs.
The Walk for Life, which was organized by the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas, the lay arm of the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on the Laity, was put in motion after the Catholic Church expressed alarm over the killings of more than 7,000 people so far since Duterte assumed office June 30 of last year. More than 2,500 had died in shootout s during raids and sting operations, according to the police.
Catholic Bishops ‘ Conference of the Philippines ( CBCP ) president and Lingayen – Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas urged the Filipinos Catholics to never live in terror, even in the face of violence and looming attempts to reinstate the capital punishment. “The sun will soon rise. There will be hope. Never be afraid of darkness. Never live in fear,” said Villegas. “This is standing up for the godly tradition that is truly Filipino because a real Filipino is pro-God, prolife,” Archbishop Villegas said before the crowd. “This is mentioned in our Constitution. This means that if the Filipino people would break away from God and if the Filipino would not respect life, then he or she would be less of a Filipino because it is inherent in us as Filipinos to be pro-God and pro-life.” message, the Catholic bishops’ leader said: “What I believe is that God will listen to our prayers. If God listens to our requests, what is there to fear?”
The archbishop said Walk for Life is not a protest but “a commitment to the sacredness of life given by God. Killing would not resolve the country’s problems and would only result in rampant aggression. All sins against God begin with blasphemy, or trying to destroy the honor of God,” Archbishop Villegas said. “We cannot teach that killing is wrong by killing those who kill. It also increases the number of killers,” he added. “The public should have the courage to Jight against violence. Let us face those who threaten us and show our inner strength. They cannot scare us because our faith in God is stronger,” he said. “Instead of restoring the death penalty, cleanse the ranks of the police, CTK Parishioners Join CBCP’s Walk for Life at Luneta public affairs ministry rules in our penitentiaries,” Villegas said. He also called the “Walk for Life” prayer rally a “Walk for God.”
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, who also joined the rally, called for strengthening and promoting the culture of non-violent movements. Echoing Pope Francis’ message for this year’s World Day of Peace, Cardinal Tagle called for a renewed culture of “active non-violence” in addressing the country’s challenges. He said that non-violence is not passive as Jesus was a tireless worker of love in action. “But we believe that we cannot stop violence also by violence,” said Tagle. “If the response to violence is also violence, we double the violence.” He called on the Filipino people to help save the lives of those who are facing imminent danger. “While we are here, we have to save the lives of those who are at risk. We can save their lives when we show concern and love,” Tagle said. And an even greater cause for concern, he said, is the indifference of many to these violence. “It’s sad to see, and sometimes tearful, that it’s becoming just a normal thing,” he said. The Cardinal said the “Walk for Life” rally was intended to “save lives, such as of pregnant women and the unborn child, those who are hungry, and the youth on the street, who must be freed from the inJluence of illegal drugs, abuse, prostitution, pornography, gambling and other vices.”
Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, head of the Diocese of Cubao to which CTK belongs, was also in attendance, together with Jive other diocese heads.
With the Walk for Life, the Catholic faithful expressed its strong stand for the value and dignity of human life. The march was a powerful advocacy on care, protection and defense of all human life from conception to natural death, as well as due process for law offenders, humane treatment of criminals and adequate rehabilitation for those involved in drugs.
The CBCP Episcopal Commission on the Laity Chairman and Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said that the event was an expression of the public’s opposition against the problems in the society that threatens the dignity and sanctity of life including the imposition of death penalty, abortion, the proposed laws on divorce and same-sex unions, and planned distribution of condoms in school. The message, he said, is “that the people are standing up for life and they are against these methods of death, such as death penalty and extra-judicial killings. So I hope that the government will listen to the people,” Pabillo added.
For her part, the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas National President Zenaida Capistrano said that “Walk for Life” is not a protest rather, it is an expression of the gratitude for the gift of life that is given by God.
The event began at 4:30am with Mrs. Capistrano welcoming the participants. The slow walk then started at 5:00am. The short program after the walk commenced with a Doxology performed by the members of Don Bosco Youth Center in Tondo, Manila, followed by musical presentations from Glee Nette Gaddi and Ooberfuse. Bishop Pabillo gave a short inspirational talk followed by the Panalangin ng Bayan, and Praise and Worship, which was led by the Couples for Christ Global.
The Walk for Life formally ended at a round 9:00am, with t he CTK parishioners on the chartered bus, led by Benjie and Wins Mirasol, arriving back at CTK by 11 am. Other members of the Parish Pastoral Council noticed in the Luneta crowd included Mustard Seed Ministry head Amelia Alba, Acropolis Village Coordinator Irene Robles, Greenmeadows Village Coordinator Eileen de Leon, Knights of Columbus head Boy Angeles, Catechetical Ministry co-head Sheryl Coronel, BEC head Tiny Perfecto, Vocation co-head Louie Laudico, and Youth Ministry Coordinator Althea Geronilla. The Mirasols also took note of PPC assistant Jeffrey Dacleson’s contribution, who looked out for everyone in the CTK group, and thanked parishioner Nandy Pacheco for treating the bus group to an Aristocrat’s breakfast.
