MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has called on Filipinos to transform the spirit of remembrance into acts of kindness and social unity as the country observes All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, known collectively as Undas.

“I join the Catholic faithful and the entire Filipino nation in the solemn observance of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day,” Mr. Marcos said in a statement issued on Sunday.

Millions of Filipinos traditionally travel across the country during the annual holiday to visit cemeteries, offer prayers, and reunite with relatives in memory of departed loved ones. The commemoration, marked every Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, is among the most widely observed religious occasions in the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines. Families customarily flock to memorial parks and cemeteries to clean tombstones, light candles, lay flowers, and pray for the dead, while many others return to their home provinces, making Undas one of the busiest travel periods of the Philippine year.

Against the backdrop of those nationwide gatherings, Mr. Marcos called for compassion toward those facing hardship, urging citizens to draw inspiration from the saints and from deceased family members.

“Their lives call on us to make the most of the time entrusted to us, and to find lasting purpose in every kindness we give and every burden we help carry for others,” Mr. Marcos said.

“If we can make time to revere those who have passed, we can also make room to listen to those who struggle, and let that same concern guide our society and the work of government,” he added.

In that framing, the familiar rituals of Undas — candles, flowers, and family reunions — extend beyond personal remembrance, tying one of the country's most widely observed holidays to questions of social concern and public life.

The President's message was reported by BusinessWorld's Erika Mae P. Sinaking.

Source: BusinessWorld Online