by FFE PH News Staff

The Philippines has faced tragic incidents in the past year, from the armed conflict in Zamboanga to the cataclysmic Bohol Earthquake and supertyphoon Yolanda.

To commemorate the thousands of lives lost in 2013, President Benigno Aquino III has declared today a nation day of prayer and will be held at the Malacañang Palace at 5pm.

With the theme  ‘One Nation in Prayer’, it is a nationwide prayer ‘to remember the lives lost to the tragic incidents of 2013, 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,’ said Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) secretary Herminio Coloma Junior.

Joining the president in the main programme at the Malacañang Palace are other government leaders, representatives of different faiths and stakeholders from civil society. Other prayer activities will also be held in offices, schools, churches, businesses and establishments all over the country.

Malacañang is also asking the Filipinos in their own homes, communities and places of work and worship to join One Nation in Prayer.

Last September, the three-week armed conflict between the government and Muslim rebels that became known as the Zamboanga City Crisis killed 183 rebels, 23 soldiers and policemen and 12 civilians and affected over 150,000 people.

On 15 October, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Bohol and Cebu, killing at least 200 people and leaving Php2.26 billion worth of damages in infrastructure.

Three weeks after the deadliest earthquake that hit the Philippines in 23 years rocked Visayas, supertyphoon Yolanda struck Eastern Visayas, claiming over 6,000 lives and affecting more than 16 million people.