WE PRAY FOR PEACE
The Muslim prayer at the close of Salat says: “O God, thou are peace; From thee is peace and unto thee is peace; Let us live, our Lord, in peace; And receive us in thy paradise, the abode of peace; Thine is the majesty and the praise; We hear and we obey; Grant us thy forgiveness, Lord; And unto thee be our becoming.”
For us Suluans, nothing is more appropriate than this prayer. Sulu has been declared in the “State of Emergency” by Gov. Sakur Tan last March 31, 2009 in the midst of the hostage crisis. Andreas Notter, a Swiss national; Eugenio Vagni, an Italian, and Engr. Mary Jean Lacaba, a Filipina, all of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), were kidnapped by the Abu Sayaff Group (ASG), right in the vicinity of the provincial capitol last January 15, 2009.
JPIC staff with Fr Vill, OMI in their new look as the seek peace.
The nefarious incident was most embarrassing to the Governor and to all Suluans. The Red Cross had been giving all kinds of assistance to the people of Sulu, particularly to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and now, their international personnel were kidnapped! This is a shame to Sulu perpetrated by senseless and shameless Suluans. The ensuing pursuit operation by the police, reinforced by the Civilian Volunteers Organization (CVO) and the marines; the cordoning of the jungle area where the ASG are holding their captives; the threat of the ASG to behead one of the kidnapped victims, if the pursuing forces are not withdrawn; all these, lead to painful uncertainties among the populace. This is on-going.
The Civil Society Organization (CSO) coming from 3 federations and all in all comprising 47 NGOs, staged a peace rally in front of the municipal hall, condemning and denouncing the kidnapping. Chairman Nur Missuari was asked to help in the negotiation. This was followed later by a prayer rally in front of Masjid Tulay. The latter was the first ever to be held in Jolo. We call on God to intervene. “Peace is the most precious good that must be invoked of God and be constructed with every effort through concrete gestures on the part of every man and woman of good will,” says Pope John Paul II.
We pray for peace.
### Fr. Romeo P. Villanueva, OMI
Finally our JPIC staff, Alfie S. Kadil, tied the knot with Bing Hadjilani. Our Congratulations! & wishing you peace and happiness.
