Noy to lead National Day of Prayer

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino will lead today the National Day of Prayer and Solidarity in remembrance of the thousands of lives lost to disasters in 2013.

The gathering dubbed “One Nation in Prayer” will see religious groups and churches praying in unison at exactly 5 p.m.

Aquino will lead the nation in prayer from the Palace grounds.

Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. of the Presidential Communications Operations Office urged all Filipinos to pause and pray for the victims of disasters.

Coloma said the government also wants to “thank the Almighty for the nation’s strength and resilience, and to seek divine guidance as the country moves forward to rebuild the affected communities.”

“We call on all citizens to pause and join ‘One Nation in Prayer’ in their respective homes, communities, places of work and worship,” he said.

Among those expected to join the President in prayer are representatives of communities affected by the Zamboanga City siege, the 7.2-magnitude Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Yolanda.

Religious leaders who are expected to attend the prayer at the Palace grounds are Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Imam Ebra Moxsir of the Imam Council of the Philippines, Commissioner Zenaida Pawid of the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples, Isaias Samson of Iglesia ni Cristo and a representative of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches.

Coloma told state-run dzRB radio station that Vice President Jejomar Binay and other national leaders as well as the mayors in Metro Manila have also been invited to join the prayer.