Mass to be offered for Paris attack victims

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – A mass will be offered in solidarity with the victims of Paris attacks at the San Sebastian Cathedral in this city today.

Cathedral rector Fr. Felix Pasquin said a mini-French flag surrounded by 129 lighted  candles, representing the number of fatalities, would be displayed at the altar.

Pasquin said the mass will start at 12:15 p.m.

Meanwhile, the attacks in Paris did not dampen the spirits of French members of the Friends International, which launched a program protecting children from all forms of abuse in Angeles City on Sunday.

“We are saddened by what happened in Paris. But here, life goes on and there is a need to protect children from exploitation,”  Valerie Sfeir, coordinator of the International ChildSafe Campaigns, said.

Local children joined a parade organized by the group along Fields Avenue, considered the red light district of this city.

The parade culminated in a program that promotes the “ChildSafe Traveler Tips.”

Lily Flordelis of the Bahay Tuluyan, a shelter for exploited children, said the Childsafe Movement, has come out with seven ways to protect children in the Philippines.