PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte called for peace and healing on Thursday as the country observed Eid’l Ftr, the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
“Let us welcome a new hope that this Eid brings — for peace, prosperity, healing and strength as we build a progressive and brighter future for our people,” Mr. Duterte said in his message for the Feast of Breaking the Fast, a national holiday in the largely Catholic Philippines.
The President said he hoped that the end of Muslims’ holy month of fasting would inspire Filipinos to “continue promoting peace, unity and goodwill among our fellow Filipinos.”
Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo, in her message, said the celebration “is a continued reminder that we are a single community.”
Meanwhile, One Bangsamoro Movement (1Bangsa) asked the President to certify as urgent the proposed measures seeking to extend the term of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) by another three years from 2022.
“Various sectors have spoken loud and clear in endorsing the BTA extension,” 1Bangsa President Alan Balangi-Amer said in a press release.
Mr. Balangi-Amer said a large number of Filipino Muslims favor the extension of the transition period “to sustain the gains of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.”
He said Congress should “act with dispatch” with only nine remaining session days before it adjourns sine die on June 4. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza