Unite, pray to solve Covid-19 crisis: PRRD

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte updates the nation on the government’s efforts in addressing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang on April 6, 2020. ACE MORANDANTE/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday urged Filipinos to unite and pray, and believe that it is only God who could immediately solve the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“He’s (God is) the only one who can really solve the problem for us,” Duterte said in a public address.

He said he still prayed to God, hoping that lives will be spared and that resources will not run out.

“When the resources are all exhausted and the pandemic would claim millions of lives, I hope really and I pray that it will not — pero kung ganon, wala na akong magawa (but if that happens, I can’t do anything about it),” he said.

He also acknowledged that God could decide to end the world just as easily.

“He created the world, the planet Earth, and if God wants it ended, so be it,” he said.

As of April 6, the Department of Health reported 414 new confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases, bringing the total number to 3,660.

The number of patients who recovered from Covid-19 climbed to 73 while 11 new deaths was reported, increasing the country’s death toll to 163.

Worldwide, Covid-19 has infected more than 1.27 million people and killed more than 69,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Duterte called on the nation to come together and unite in prayer to fight against a “common enemy”.

Last month, Duterte declared the fourth week of March 2020 as the “National Week of Prayer” amid the rising number of confirmed Covid-19 cases.

Under Proclamation 934 signed on March 21, Duterte asked fellow Filipinos to offer prayers in a bid to “defeat this invisible enemy, with the aid and blessing of God.”

“I urge all Filipinos of all faiths, religious traditions and backgrounds to unite our hearts in prayer as we face the Covid-19 threat, fixing our eyes on the Almighty in this time of affliction,” he said in his proclamation.

As Covid-19 continues to spread across the globe, church leaders have urged the faithful to celebrate Holy Week from the safety of their homes.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines encouraged the public to stay home during Holy Week and follow liturgical activities on television, radio or online.