Cory: Don’t forget the power of prayer

DAVAO CITY — Former President Corazon Aquino called on Filipinos yesterday not to forget the power of prayer in the midst of terrorist attacks and the continued clashes in Mindanao as well as the impending US-led war against Iraq.

"As Davao City picks up the pieces from a horrible terrorist attack, as Mindanao is rocked by armed conflict, as the world stands on the edge of war, as we work for justice that heals the anger and violence in our country, let us not forget the power of prayer," Mrs. Aquino told a huge crowd at the San Pedro Cathedral where a Mass was held after a peace march and rally at the nearby Rizal Park.

Mrs. Aquino arrived here yesterday morning to join over 30,000 Davao residents who trooped to the streets for the biggest ever peace march and rally following the March 4 blast that ripped through a crowded waiting shed at the Davao International Airport, leaving 22 people dead and 160 others wounded.

Historic

Considered to be historic and very significant, the peace march was initiated by the city’s private and business sectors and participated in by various government agencies and schools as well as delegations from nearby provinces.

Mrs. Aquino also visited and extended assistance to the victims of the airport bombing who are confined at the Davao Medical Center before returning to Manila yesterday afternoon.

"It is through prayer that we can achieve peace in our hearts, the personal peace that we need to build a just and lasting peace in our communities and in the world. There is no way to peace but through peace," the former president said.

The Mass, officiated by Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla and 40 other priests, was held at the San Pedro Cathedral that was also bombed twice, first in 1981 and then in 1993. In the second blast, several churchgoers hearing Mass a day after Christmas were killed.

Mrs. Aquino conceded that with the recent bombings that struck the South, the latest of which was in Davao City, justice must be done following due process and that the rule of law must prevail.

Humanity

"However, in our determination to apprehend heartless and inhumane terrorists, there is the danger of losing our own humanity. Let us pursue this mission with patience and perseverance, ever conscious of the fact that we are the good guys, who unlike our terrorist tormentors, are driven by the sense of fairness, justice, humanity and compassion, and a passion for peace," she added.

Mrs. Aquino also cited a list of practical lessons from the current situation that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines recently published, saying people should continue to be vigilant since terrorism and armed conflict are seen to linger for a while.

She also called for peace agreements to be forged with rebel groups and that efforts should be made to begin solving the deep social problems that caused the conflict.

Mrs. Aquino recalled how Davao stood by her and supported her during her presidency.

"Thank you Davao for standing by me all these years. Today, I am here to stand with you, to pray with you and to lend you my support," she said.

The former president expressed optimism that Davao residents would rise above the adversity.

"What we in Manila saw was the courage of Davao in the face of adversity, which gives me confidence that you shall overcome," she said.