MANILA, Philippines – When the clock strikes at 12 noon, utter the short prayer “God bless the Philippines.”
Beginning Saturday, Filipinos all over the world are encouraged to recite the short petition daily at noon regardless of time zones to blanket with prayers of blessing the country now being plagued by crises.
Christian evangelist Eduardo “Bro. Eddie” Villanueva led the launching of the “God Bless the Philippines Global Prayer Movement” Friday at the 33rd anniversary of the Jesus is Lord Church at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.
The event was graced by President Benigno Aquino III, who also addressed the crowd of tens of thousands belonging to various evangelical church denominations.
In a press conference, Villanueva said the country needed prayers now more than ever as it faced countless problems and trials – from natural calamities and man-made disasters, to the senseless killings and the escalating armed conflict in Mindanao.
“Our President [Aquino] is facing so much problems,” noted Villanueva, citing the ongoing crisis in Mindanao, where scores of soldiers have been killed in a chain of clashes with rebels the most recent of which claimed the lives of 19 troopers in an ambush in Basilan.
In the same breath, he lauded Mr. Aquino for having the “wisdom to enforce an all-out-justice rather than all-out-war” against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, saying that to recklessly opt for the latter would harm more innocent lives.
“Our country has been in crisis and it’s high time for the Filipino people to obey the formula of God … to go back to God,” he said.
The global prayer movement, touted to be a first in the history of the Philippines, would help strengthen President Aquino’s political leadership and unite Filipinos all over the world regardless of social status and religious affiliation, added Villanueva.
“I believe it will strengthen the political leadership of President Aquino to be bolder than before in imposing righteousness in governance… so it’s our duty to help the President,” he told reporters.
Under the prayer movement, Filipinos are not only encouraged to make the “noon prayer” a habit to sustain the Philippines every hour for the entire year but also to post their prayers online. Prayers can be posted on www.GodBlessThePhilippines.com, he said.
“So imagine God from heaven, if he can see millions of Filipinos all over the world uttering ‘God bless the Philippines,’ it will make a quick difference,” added the evangelist, who ran but lost in the presidential elections last year.
Villanueva founded the JIL in a school campus, where he was then teaching political economics.