MANILA, Philippines — Several Filipinos are joining a series of prayer meetings amid increasing tensions in the West Philippine Sea and urged lawmakers to be “resolute” and “forthright” in reporting to the nation.
“For our dear lawmakers: Be resolute in your investigations and forthright in your report to the nation, and bring to light the extent to which our government and national and local institutions have been infiltrated by agents and lackeys of the People’s Republic of China,” Omar Santos said, who was one of the prayer leaders during the Monday prayer meeting.
The prayer meeting is now on its 12th day which started from June 27, the Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, and will last until the Solemnity of the Assumption on August 15.
The prayer meeting is held online every 9:30 PM to “promote peace” in the West Philippine Sea.
Additionally, religious leaders also discuss the “complete halt” of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators in the country during the prayer meeting.
“For the complete halt of the POGO operations in our country, for the end of the regime of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators that have caused incidences of human trafficking and torture and money laundering… May they not be granted the protection of our land,” it said.
Previously, Archbishop Socrates Villegas of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan expressed concern over Chinese aggressions in the West Philippine Sea, including land reclamation and militarization.
“We will find the confidence to take a firm stand because of our conviction that if God is with us, no power can ever prevail against us,” Villegas said.
The Philippines has frequently protested China’s illegal activities in the West Philippine Sea. Despite a ruling in favor of the Philippines’ rights in the disputed area, China continues to harass Filipino fisherfolk within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Last month, Chinese Coast Guard ships blocked, looted, and rammed Philippine Navy vessels delivering supplies to troops on the BRP Sierra Madre, the Philippines’ only outpost in the area.
