Cubao diocese raising scholarship fund for drug war orphans

Honesto Ongtioco—CBCP WEBSITE

The Diocese of Cubao will be establishing a scholarship fund for children whose parents fell victim to extrajudicial killings (EJKs) being linked to the Duterte administration’s brutal war on illegal drugs.

In a pastoral letter issued on Friday, Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco called on church members to make donations in support of the orphans, who will be enrolled in parochial schools run by the diocese.

‘Our gift’

“Education is our gift to help them secure a more promising future. You can bring your donation to your parishes or in the diocese,” the bishop said in a piece titled, “Prayer and Compassion.”

Ongtioco also amplified the call earlier made by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for the faithful to pray and light candles for the dead in homes, public places, cemeteries and in the spot where EJK victims were slain or found.

“We mourn. We pray. We implore the merciful heart of the Good Shepherd to heal and renew our land. And for the killings,” the prelate stressed.

In a pastoral statement titled, “Lord, Heal Our Land,” the CBCP asked Catholics nationwide to offer prayers for victims of the drug war and as well those of the Marawi City siege for 40 days, from Sept. 23 to Nov. 1.

The bishops also called on parishes to ring their bells every 8 p.m., as part of a tradition called “De Profundis,” during the 40-day period. —Julie M. Aurelio