Civic groups, clergy hold prayer rally to denounce drug war killings

MANILA, Philippines — Civic groups and Church leaders gathered in the country’s capital Saturday to attend a pre-dawn prayer rally as a major show of dissent against some of President Rodrigo Duterte’s policies, including his deadly drug war.

About 2,000 people composed of politicians, priests, celebrities, youth groups, students and relatives of slain suspected drug traffickers marched for the second wave of “Walk for Life” rally at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.

Four other cities simultaneously held their respective walks in solidarity with the call to “uphold human life and human dignity.”

Signs saying “stop the killings” and “no to drug-related killings” reflect mounting opposition to Duterte’s ferocious anti-narcotic campaign that has killed thousands.

The event also aimed at highlighting other issues such as the proposed revival of death penalty, Duterte’s new tax law, human trafficking and abuses against indigenous peoples, among others.

Church leaders in the mainly Catholic Philippines also took the opportunity to express their fierce resistance to abortion and passage of the divorce bill in the lower House.

Without making direct reference to the president’s policies, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, who presided over a mass, urged people to value life as a gift and not as a “commodity.”

“Ang kanilang pinaglalakbayan ay punung-puno ng mga bakas ng karahasan at pagbabalewala sa buhay (The road they’re taking is full of traces of violence and disregard for human life),” he said.

Saturday’s Walk for Life prayer rally was organized by the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas, the biggest umbrella organization of national Catholic lay organizations.

Organizers had hoped to top the attendance of last year’s Walk for Life, which garnered over 10,000 persons. — Video by Evelyn Macairan