MASADA to hold prayer, candlelight activities for Duterte
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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Masa Sara Duterte Alliance (MASADA) will hold prayer and candlelight activities on Wednesday in their respective localities to mark the first anniversary of the alleged kidnapping of former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte (FPRRD), who was brought to The Hague, Netherlands, to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In an advisory to its members and volunteers, MASADA announced that prayer and candlelight activities will be held at Gaston Park in this city. Similar activities will also be conducted across the country.
Benito Ranque, MASADA founding chairman, told the Daily Tribune that rallies, motorcades, and mass gatherings are discouraged due to the looming economic crisis triggered by the Middle East conflict.
He said the prayer and candlelight activities across the country and in the Netherlands seek “divine intervention” to resolve the fate of former president Rodrigo Duterte after he was flown to The Hague to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity.
“No amount of indignation rallies and protests can resolve the fate of Tatay Digong. Only divine intervention can change the course of the political landscape in the country,” Ranque said.
He added that the silence of U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the ICC suggests that the former president is now on his own in facing the legal battle before an international tribunal.
Ranque also expressed concern over what he described as the lack of immediate action regarding the plight of millions of overseas Filipino workers stranded in parts of the Middle East and the surge in fuel prices, which he said have reached around P90 per liter in Northern Mindanao.
“We believe that the protection of our people must always be the foremost priority of our government,” MASADA said in a statement.
The group criticized President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., saying he appeared to be merely reporting developments rather than announcing urgent measures to mitigate the impact of the Middle East crisis.
“We now call on the Marcos administration to immediately put into action repatriation mechanisms that include sufficient evacuation funding, coordinated transport arrangements, temporary accommodation where necessary, and reintegration assistance upon the return of our countrymen,” the statement added.
MASADA also warned that the surge in global oil prices, which it said has pushed pump prices in parts of Mindanao to around P90 per liter, is expected to translate into higher transportation costs and rising prices of basic goods.
