MANILA, Philippines – Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle called on Filipinos to join a grand procession on Saturday, February 24, to oppose drug war killings, the death penalty, and other offenses against life.

The procession, called Walk for Life, is set from 4 am to 8 am on Saturday at the parade grounds of the Quirino Grandstand in Manila. Tagle is set to say Mass at 6:45 am on this day.

In other parts of the Philippines, the Walk for Life will also be held in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Tarlac, and San Pablo on Saturday.

“Lumakad po tayo para sa mga tao, kapatid natin, na ang buhay ay nagkakaroon po hindi lamang ng problema kundi ng mga banta,” Tagle said in a video message published by Radio Veritas ahead of Saturday’s event.

(Let us walk for the people, for our brothers and sisters, whose lives encounter not only problems but also threats.)

“Maglakad para sa buhay,” the cardinal said. (Let us walk for life.)

The vice president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, said he is likely to attend as well.

Political speeches prohibited

Maria Julieta Wasan, president of the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas (Lay Council of the Philippines), also urged Filipinos to join the event.

Wasan said on Radio Veritas, however, that politicians will not be allowed to deliver speeches during the event.

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo earlier said the event can be linked to the 32nd anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution on Sunday, February 25.

“Hindi na sana natin antayin pa na magkaroon uli ng diktadurya, at saka tayo manindigan. Kung vigilant na tayo ngayon, hindi na mauulit ang nangyari sa Martial Law,” Pabillo said. (Let us not wait for dictatorship to happen again before we take a stance. If we will be vigilant now, we can prevent the things that happened during Martial Law.) 

The Walk for Life was also done in February 2017, attracting more than 20,000 Filipinos, according to CBCP News. (Watch Tagle’s Walk for Life 2017 speech in the video below)

The Walk for Life comes as President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs kills thousands, with the Catholic Church as a leading voice condemning these deaths. – Rappler.com