President’s Easter message: PH needs to be saved from drugs, crime

The Philippines deserves to be saved from drugs, crime and corruption, President Rodrigo Duterte said as he joined Christendom in the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.

“May this occasion be a reminder to Filipinos that our country deserves salvation from drugs, criminality and corruption that have long plagued this nation and that our people will rise and triumph over society’s ills,” Mr. Duterte said in his Easter Sunday message.

The message echoed the President’s oft-repeated promise of ridding the country of the scourge of illegal drugs,  restoring peace and order, and cleaning up the government.

“The story of the Risen Christ on Easter Sunday is a message of perseverance and faith in the grief of Black Saturday,” he said.

The resurrection of Christ, Mr. Duterte added, “should inspire us to achieve our collective aspirations through our unwavering devotion.”

President Duterte’s message also dwelled on the promise of Easter that, he said, “[should] be our guide as we build a progressive, inclusive and independent nation—where government and people work together to attain peace, justice, safety and security for all.”

Unite for peace

Mr. Duterte spent Holy Week on state visits to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, where he discussed the concerns of overseas Filipino workers with leaders of the Middle East, and invited businesses to invest in the Philippines.  He was expected to depart from Doha today for a return flight home.

In a similar Easter message, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III urged Filipinos “to unite for peace, freedom, justice and a better quality of life in the years ahead.”

The rebirth and renewal symbolized by Easter Sunday can be compared to the “nation’s [experience] of rebirth and renewal under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte,” he added.

Pimentel explained: “The campaign against drugs, crime and corruption seeks to do away with the evils that hinder our march toward redemption and progress, while our ten-point economic and social reform agenda and proposed shift to a federal system of government are aimed at building a new future for our people and our nation as a whole.” —WITH A REPORT BY JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE