San Fernando residents join the prayer rally on May 10, Friday, for a peaceful May 13 election in San Fernando, a town in southern Cebu. | Zena V. Magto
SAN FERNANDO, Cebu, Philippines — For a clean, honest and peaceful elections, the Catholic faithful of San Fernando town rallied in prayer amid the recent threats and violent incidents in the town.
At least 100 people, who attended the rally, offered prayers for the divine intervention of the Lord to bring order to the town.
Present were religious groups such as the pastoral council of the San Isidro Labrador Parish and the Couples for Christ in San Fernando.
Some students and teachers were also sighted during the prayer rally.
The rally started at around 4 p.m. on May 10 in front of the San Isidro Labrador Parish.
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Adorned with the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, attendees prayed for security, and to lead election candidates to the light.
Neil Papas, Couples for Christ cluster head and a resident of San Fernando, told Cebu Daily News Digital in an interview that aside from human intervention from the government, their belief in the power of God could also help to bring hope.
“Kami sa mga relihiyoso, nag tuo gyud mi sa gahum sa prayer nga amo gipangayo ang divine intervention to bring about hope, orderly and peaceful election in our town,” said Papas.
(We, religious people, believe in the power of prayer that divine intervention will happen to bring about hope, orderly and peaceful election in our town.)
Papas said that as political arguments might be a usually happen during elections, it is only this year that the town experienced a hightened level of election violence.
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“Dunay mga hulga. Na hulga ang honest, na hulga ang orderly, na hulga ang peaceful election sa amo lungsod,” said Papas.
(There are threats. Threats on the honest, orderly and peaceful election of the town.)
The prayer rally ended with a balloon-letting activity, as a symbolic move to deliver prayers to the heavens./dbs