CEBU CITY– Clad in his green camouflage uniform, Master Sergeant Dave Daan sat and prayed with his fellow Muslim brothers.
The 52-year-old member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was among the nearly 1,500 Muslims who gathered at the Plaza Independencia in downtown Cebu City on Friday morning for the congregation prayer to celebrate Eid-ul Fitr, the end of Ramadan.
They started to converge at 6 a.m. and laid down their praying mats towards the direction of Mecca.
Ustadz Salih Sarigan, an Imam, led the congregation prayer which started a few minutes past 7 a.m. Sarigan reminded the attendees to live by the values instilled by Ramadan.
“Ramadan teaches us with the values of patience, unity, and generosity,” Sarigan said in Filipino before the crowd.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Rep. Raul del Mar of Cebu City’s north district graced the religious gathering.
Osmeña assured the Muslims that they were welcome and safe in Cebu.
Based on the records of the Cebu City Office on Muslim Affairs, about 1,000 Muslim families or 8,000 individuals residing in Cebu City.
Each of the eight registered mosques in Cebu City also held their own congregation prayer at the same time.
The assembly dispersed around 8 a.m.