CBCP calls on Filipinos to wear white, pray amid recent calamities

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) released a circular on Saturday, 11 October, urging the faithful to wear white every Sunday of October and November as a sign calling for good governance in the country.

Displaying white ribbons in homes, churches, and public spaces is also encouraged as a prayer for the nation’s renewal amid corruption issues and recent calamities.

According to the circular by CBCP president Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, the use of white clothing and ribbons represents the people’s plea for transparency, accountability, and good governance.

He added that the gesture also expresses a humble prayer that the nation may be washed clean and renewed in God’s mercy, and spared from further calamities.

“Let our white garments be a symbol of the purity we seek for our land and our hearts. May this season of prayer and repentance lead us to hope, healing, and the restoration of our common life in truth and justice,” Cardinal David said.

Recently, various calamities have occurred in the country, including a 6.9-magnitude earthquake on 30 September 2025 in Cebu, followed by thousands of aftershocks. Not long after, just ten days later, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Davao Oriental on 10 October 2025.

“For the past few days, we have been experiencing terrible calamities—one after another! Let us beg the Lord’s mercy on our people,” Cardinal David said.

Furthermore, he reiterated the bishops’ earlier “National Call to Prayer and Public Repentance,” urging Filipinos to pray every Sunday and, if possible, daily until the Solemnity of Christ the King, accompanied by the tolling of church bells.

On Saturday, around 5:32 PM, another 5.0-magnitude earthquake struck Cabangan, Zambales.