A SPOKESMAN for a lay charismatic group has expressed alarm over the public’s lack of concern over alleged extrajudicial killings in the country.
Xavier Padilla, communications head of the Couples for Christ Foundation for Family and Life (CFC-FFL), said regular news reports about extrajudicial killings linked to President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug war have desensitized the public.
“[A] few months ago, when we would see news about people getting killed and wrapped in packaging tape, we were outraged and disgusted,” Padilla said in an interview with the Varsitarian.
“Unfortunately now, people are looking the other way, [and] even see [them as] regular news items,” he said.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on Sept. 20 launched a prayer campaign, titled “A Million Roses for the World: Filipinos at Prayer for the Nation,” to counter the “culture of terror.”
Each province in the Philippines will be prayed for every day until the campaign ends on Dec. 23.
Lay groups participating in the campaign include the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, Mother Butler’s Guild, Family Rosary Crusade and CFC-FFL.
Padilla noted that primetime news programs have focused on the anti-drug war, overlooking other issues affecting provinces across the country.
“Not everything gets into the primetime news, but they affect people nonetheless. Praying for each province gives attention to them,” he said.
