MANILA, Philippines — It has been over a year since the House of Representatives rejected the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN last July 10, 2020, but Kapamilya star Gary Valenciano is among those who noticed that the war between the media giant and the government seem far from over, with representatives from both sides spewing tirades at each other from time to time.
As such, during Gary’s recent virtual conference for his participation in global faith-based app Pray.com, “Mr. Pure Energy” shared his prayer for both government and his home network ABS-CBN.
Related Stories
“(I pray) that ABS-CBN would not become bitter because of what happened to it but would become better because of the lessons that were learned from it,” he shared.
As for government, his prayer is “(For our leaders to have) a lot of sacrifices and selflessness.”
“Imagine if our leaders took lead from the leader then I believe that the Philippines, no matter what is said about it, where we are, they say we’re a Third World country, so what? But when the leaders of our country would use their position, they’re in the position that God allowed us to be in, then they can change what things are, whether it’s something against corruption, against anything out there that has always tainted our government.”
After performing at the National Day of Prayer in the United States last May 6 US President Joe Biden, Gary has been tapped, along with fellow Filipinos Bo Sanchez and Manny Pacquiao, to join Hollywood celebrities and other stars to be part of global app Pray.com.
Described as a “digital destination for faith,” Pray.com claimed to have become the no. 1 or highest grossing praying platform for prayer and faith-based audio content last year.
“We believe that prayer is the ultimate form of self-care,” said the app’s founder Steve Gatena, who started it to cope after losing his best friend to a plane crash.
“Technology can veer us away from prayer,” said Gary, citing how the pandemic has pushed people to rely on video streaming.
Audio apps like Pray.com, however, show that technology can also be used to guide people back to God.
“The ‘new normal’ is not only about living in a new way,” he enthused, “but also a new way to pray.”