AFP, PNP to hold prayer for unity vs drugs

MANILA, Philippines – A three-day “prayer, fasting and penance” will be observed in police and military camps starting tomorrow to support President Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs.

Senior Superintendent Eligio Mativo, chaplain service head of the Philippine National Police, will lead all PNP personnel in the conduct of activities initiated by Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak of the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines (MOP).

“Heeding the call of our commander-in-chief… to unite and support the anti-illegal drugs campaign, I now ask you to gather and pray and listen to God so He can lead us to the right path,” Tumulak said.

“We, as chaplains, share the President’s desire to stop the drug menace and its consequence, and the corruption which also disunites us,” the bishop said.

Tumulak serves at the PNP, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard and the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, which will all join the activities.

Tomorrow, the activities will be held at PNP headquarters at Camp Crame in Quezon City and then at the AFP headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo also in Quezon City on Wednesday.

On Thursday, there will be a candlelight procession and mass at the Shrine of St. Therese in Pasay City.

PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa was invited to join the mass at the St. Joseph Chapel at Camp Crame at 12:15 p.m. tomorrow.

According to Senior Supt. Lucio Rosaroso, MOP vicar general for PNP and chaplain service deputy director, the activities were in response to the call of the President for the church to do its part in the campaign against illegal drugs.

“Illegal drugs (are) the root cause of corruption, greed, poverty, abuse of power, heinous crimes, unlawful acts and what the President himself called narco-politics in our country… and our prayers are a prayer of unity that God will intercede… (and) all these will be resolved within the bounds of the law,” Rosaroso said.

Mativo, Rosaroso and  Senior Supt. Jason Ortizo will also lead the religious and pastoral services for the PNP, which include values formation and pastoral and family counseling for all personnel and their dependents affected by the anti-illegal drugs campaign.

“We enjoin all our PNP personnel to heed the call of our President for change in our nation but to do this we need first to change ourselves, we need first to resolve our own dysfunctions so we can resolve our organizational dysfunctions,” Mativo said.