Ordinary Filipinos often celebrate important occasions in their own way. Birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas and all such milestones in one’s life have different meanings. To the enemies of peace though, these occasions are made to appear more significant so that people will remember, not a happy occasion, but a grim reminder of how these groups inflict harm on others.
There have been declarations of ceasefire, dialogue, peace talks, but these have always been violated during Christmas, Holy Week, the observance of All Saints’ Day and other meaningful occasions in our lives. This Valentine’s Day, we will never forget all those who died and were injured in the Valentine’s Day bombing of some years back.
Valentine’s Day should be a happy occasion for love, but the bombers had other things in mind: to sow terror, fear and devastation. This Valentine’s Day, we continue to pray for all those who were victims of that horrible incident. Valentine’s Day might have changed for the families of the victims but all we can do is pray for the perpetrators of the crime, for them to respect occasions without leaving their mark of terror.
Let’s join together to pray for peace and happiness in our land today and ever after.
—LUDY B. BANCUD,
San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija,
ludy_bancud@yahoo.com