More than 3,000 Roman Catholics joined a grand rosary rally in Bacolod City on Saturday afternoon to pray for conversion against “the systemic culture of corruption plaguing the nation.”
The participants marched from three points in the city and converged at the San Sebastian Cathedral for a mass led by Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon.
Buzon said that while marches against corruption are important, prayer and sacrifice are needed to achieve radical change.
The bishop described the massive corruption involving flood control projects as “beyond belief” and “just the tip of the iceberg,” which he said has opened a Pandora’s box.
Government funds intended for projects for the public good have instead lined the pockets of the powerful, he said.
This has led to an outburst of anger from the people, and the Church stands with them, Buzon said.
“God himself is angry at injustice, especially when the victims are the poor,” Buzon said. “He always sides with the poor.”
The problem of corruption is systemic and runs through the “whole gamut of society,” Buzon said, noting that people have also sold their votes for the kind of leaders the nation now has.
Officials then steal from the government to recover the amounts they used to buy votes, he added. The systemic problem of corruption must be destroyed.
That is why prayers and sacrifice are needed to seek the grace of conversion against sin and evil, he said.
Participants at the rally carried placards bearing Bible verses against corruption.
Among those messages were: “Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy” – Proverbs 31:9, “The Lord detests dishonesty” – Ezekiel 22:27, “Let justice roll down like waters” – Amos 5:24, “Stop robbing the poor” – Amos 5:11, “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” – Luke 12:15, “Let honesty lead our leaders” – Micah 1:2, and “Watch out! Be on guard against all kinds of greed” – Luke 12:15.*