In the days when Filipino families carry flowers, candles and memories to their cemeteries, President Marcos asked the country to let that quiet devotion spill past the gates and into ordinary kindness. Speaking from Manila at the turn of All Saints' and All Souls', he framed the remembrance of the dead as a thread that binds households and neighborhoods together, and he asked that the listening it inspires extend to those who are struggling now. The appeal was a moral one rather than a program, and it reaches toward government as well as citizens, leaving open how far such words will shape th
Marcos Urges Filipinos to Carry Undas Devotion Into Care for the Struggling
make room to listen to those who struggle
Mark
Why does a holiday message from the president deserve attention?
Mimi
Because Undas is the one time of year when nearly everyone is thinking about the same thing. He chose that moment to ask people to point that devotion at those who are struggling.
Mark
What exactly did he ask?
Mimi
That the care families show the dead be extended to the living who are having a hard time. He said if we can make time to revere the departed, we can make room to listen to those who struggle.
Luke
Does he say who the struggling are, or what should be done for them?
Mimi
No. The message stays general.
Luke
So it's an appeal, not a commitment.
Mimi
Right. He does say that concern should guide the work of government, which links it to his own office, but he names no program.
Mark
Why bring up saints and sacrifice?
Mimi
He pointed to the selflessness of the saints and the sacrifices of earlier generations as examples for how people treat one another.
Luke
Then there's nothing here yet to check against what happens next.
Mimi
Correct. The only thing to watch is whether the language of listening appears in later decisions.
Mark
And how did he end?
Mimi
With peace for those who mourn, and a reminder to cherish those who remain.
O Pulso
- Families crowd cemeteries this week, and the president is asking that the same devotion not stop at the tombstone.
- A call to make room for those who struggle sits alongside the remembrance of the departed, pressing a private rite toward public care.
- The message reaches past individual citizens to the work of government, asking officials to shape policy by listening.
- No specific measure or program accompanies the appeal, so the words now stand as a test of whether compassion becomes action.
In the days when Filipino families carry flowers, candles and memories to their cemeteries, President Marcos asked the country to let that quiet devotion spill past the gates and into ordinary kindness. Speaking from Manila at the turn of All Saints' and All Souls', he framed the remembrance of the dead as a thread that binds households and neighborhoods together, and he asked that the listening it inspires extend to those who are struggling now. The appeal was a moral one rather than a program, and it reaches toward government as well as citizens, leaving open how far such words will shape the deeds that follow.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. used his Undas message to ask Filipinos to carry the devotion they bring to cemeteries this week into care for people who are struggling. The statement, issued from Manila around All Saints' and All Souls' Day, was brief, but its request was plain: let remembrance of the dead become kindness toward the living.
He began with a scene familiar to most households at this time of year. Families return to graves to pray, to celebrate the lives of those they lost, and often to reunite with relatives and recall shared moments. Memories of the departed, he said, strengthen the bonds of families and communities, making Undas a force that holds the living together as well as a day for the dead.
From there he urged the public to draw inspiration from the selflessness of the saints and the sacrifices of those who came before, and to reflect those examples in how they treat one another. His sharpest line joined the personal to the public: "If we can make time to revere those who have passed, we can also make room to listen to those who struggle." The same concern, he said, should guide society and the work of government.
He closed by wishing peace to those who mourn and urging Filipinos to cherish those who remain with them. The message names no specific policy or program, so for now it stands as an exhortation. What to watch is whether its language of listening and compassion later appears in the administration's actions.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. used his Undas message to ask Filipinos to take the devotion they bring to cemeteries this week and turn it toward people who are struggling. The statement, issued from Manila around All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, was a short one, but its request was direct: let remembrance of the dead become kindness and concern for the living.
Marcos began with the scene familiar to most households in the country at this time of year. Families return to cemeteries, he said, to offer prayers and to celebrate the lives and legacies of departed loved ones. Some travel great distances to do so, and the visits become a chance to reunite with relatives and recall moments they once shared.
He went on to say that the memories of those who have died continue to strengthen the bonds of Filipino families and communities. In his telling, Undas is not only a day for the departed but also a force that holds the living together.
From there he made his central appeal. He encouraged the public to draw inspiration from the selflessness of the saints and from the sacrifices of those who came before, and to reflect those examples in the way people care for one another. The care Filipinos show in honoring the dead, he said, should be extended to those who are having a hard time.
His most pointed line tied the personal to the public. "If we can make time to revere those who have passed, we can also make room to listen to those who struggle," Marcos said, adding that the same concern should guide society and the work of government. With that sentence, the president placed government alongside ordinary citizens as something that should be shaped by listening.
He closed by wishing peace to those who mourn and reminding Filipinos to cherish the people who remain with them.
The message, as reported, names no specific policy, program or measure. It is an exhortation rather than an announcement, so there is nothing concrete to track beyond the president's stated link between compassion and governing. What listeners and readers may watch for is whether that language shows up later in the work of his administration.
Citações Notáveis
If we can make time to revere those who have passed, we can also make room to listen to those who struggle, and let that same concern guide our society and the work of government.— President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
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Politics & Governance