Davao residents attend memorial Mass for victims of bombing

DAVAO CITY—Dozens of Davaoeños on Saturday attended a memorial Mass for the victims of Friday night’s explosion that killed 14 people and injured 67 others.

The memorial Mass, celebrated by Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, was also attended by Mayor Sara Duterte and other officials, including city police director Senior Supt. Michael John Dubria.

In his homily, Valles called for calm among Davaoeños even as he rallied them to stand up against terror and other forms of violence.

At the end of the Mass, the residents—some of them carrying placards that read, among others, “Davao City will not bow to terror”—offered flowers and lit candles for those who died in the attack.

Messages of sympathy, condemnation and support continued to pour in the wake of the blast.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate, who hails from the city, said “I stand with my fellow Davaoeños in calling for justice to the victims of this cowardly and barbaric attack on hapless civilians.”

“We call on the government to use the full force of the law to bring to the bar of justice the perpetrators of this dastardly crime,” Zarate said as he urged the public to be vigilant “as the Davao blast incident might be used by undemocratic elements to foment more chaos and sabotage the peace initiatives of the Duterte administration and the revolutionary groups.”

North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza said the people of her province “grieve with the families of those who died.”

“And we continue to pray for the recovery of those injured in this senseless act of violence. To the people of Davao City, we are one with you and your resolve in this time of misfortune. We know how it feels because our province had its share of similar acts. But we shall not be afraid. We will not only pick up the pieces, but we shall collectively act to defeat evil,” Mendoza said.

She said the people of North Cotabato would “pray for vigilance, calmness and continued peace.”

“We pray for Davao City,” she said./rga

Residents place flowers at the makeshift memorial at the site of Friday night’s explosion in Davao city, southern Philippines, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared a nationwide “state of lawlessness” Saturday after suspected Abu Sayyaf extremists detonated a bomb at the night market in Davao city, his hometown. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto)

Mendoza said she was also supporting President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of state of lawlessness and the action he had taken “to address the situation in order to protect the people of Davao City.”

“We are one with him in condemning this terrorist act,” Mendoza added.

Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno also relayed his sympathy to the victims of the explosion.

“The people of Cagayan de Oro condoles with the victims and their families and hopes to appease the pain that they are going through now and we also pray for the injured that they will recover soon from this very condemnable and vicious act of violence,” Moreno said in a statement.

Moreno also backed Duterte’s declaration of state of lawlessness, saying the President, as the Commander in Chief, “has the Constitutional basis in calling out the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to prevent and suppress all forms of lawless violence.”

But Moreno said constitutional guarantees had to be respected.

“Many Kagay-anons are in Davao, and many Davaoenos are in CDO. We are equally affected,” Moreno said.