Walk for Life

Cardinal Tagle delivering his message during the Walk for Life 2018.
 (Photo courtesy of CBCPNews)

WALK FOR LIFE is in its third year and it has already taken a name in the consciousness of many people. It was organized by the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas, an organization of about 50 national Catholic lay groups and another 50 diocesan councils of the laity all over the country. After more than 6 months of unabated extrajudicial killings in the name of the Drug War the lay faithful sought a way to express their stance for life. Thus the first Walk for Life was hastily organized in February of 2017. It was the first of such event and there was not enough time to organize it, but it was amazingly participated in by several bishops, priests and many lay organizations, even as far as Bontok-Lagawe from the Cordilleras. Those not religiously oriented but are concerned to protect life and basic human rights also joined in.

A conservative estimate of 15,000 people participated in Luneta event. It is a Walk and not a Fun Run to show that it is an activity not only for the young and the athletic but for the whole family. By going out and standing up, the event is meant to show our common stance for life. It is held early in the morning, at four o’clock, so that it may not conflict with any other schedule of the day and it will really show the intentionality of the participants to take join in. Anyway, in the Catholic tradition in the Philippines we have many early dawn activities that are well participated in by the people, such as the monthly dawn processions in many parishes, the Misa de Gallo masses in the Christmas season, the Salubong during Easter, and in some places the dawn Way of the Cross on Good Fridays. Truly enough, the early morning schedule did not prevent, but instead promoted the participation of the people.

The next year, in February of 2018, the Walk for Life expanded to other places. Besides the one in Manila, which was again well participated, other Walks for Life were done in Tarlac City, in Gumaca, in Cebu city and in Cagayan de Oro—all organized by the lay people in those places. This year it further expanded to more cities, now Tarlac City and Dagupan City in Luzon, Cebu City and Palo and Ormoc in the Visayas, and in Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao. Slowly the lay people are standing up to their mission of promoting Christian values in society.

Not only has the Walk for Life expanded to more places. More issues are also included in the Walk. We are concerned for life and its fullness. Hence we denounce all practices and policies that deprive people of life’s fullness. There is still the continuing issue of the EJKs, but now we also look at the orphaned spouses, parents, children, and siblings who are victimized and traumatized by these senseless killings. We also denounce abortion and attempts to promote abortifacient contraception drugs. We speak out against policies that destroy the environment. The sufferings of the poor are being aggravated by economic policies that victimize them, like the continued contractualization of labor, the continued inflation that painfully hit the poor, the slow implementation of agrarian reform, and the oppression of the coconut farmers. We also include the breakdown of the peace talks which brings a lot of harassment and even death to the farmers and the lumads,  and now the acts of terrorism in the bombings of churches and mosques. Human rights are still continually violated. All of these and still others are issues of life.

We ask all people of good will to participate in the Walk for life, which this year will be done in Quezon City Circle on February 16, still at 4 o’clock in the morning. Our evangelical brothers and sisters and the faithful of other faith persuasions support us in this. It is a space by which we can together express our position to stand for life. It will also be a time to pray for life, for the policy makers, and for the advocates for justice and peace. Cardinal Tagle and several bishops, priests and religious will join in this expression of solidarity for life because Jesus our Savior has come that we may have life and life to the full.He is the Life of the world.