WANTING to seek Divine Guidance, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. attended a Mass on Friday morning before going to the Malacañang Palace to officially start his first day in office as the 17th President of the Republic of the Philippines.
The Mass was officiated by Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula and was held at the San Miguel Parish Church inside the Malacañang compound .
Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio attended the Holy Mass as well as other incoming Cabinet secretaries and officials under the Marcos administration led by Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez.
In his homily, Cardinal Advincula called on the two top leaders of the country to emulate the two traits of the Good Shepherd such as the “listening leadership and life-giving leadership.”
“As we meet in our offices and conference halls asking questions in our heads, may we be mindful of our people who ask questions in their empty stomachs…May we be leaders who listen to our people, especially the poor and marginalized,” he said.
“Jesus Christ is also a life-giving shepherd, a life-giving leader. He desires his flock to gain abundance and fullness of life, and he does this by laying down his own life for his sheep. He came not to be served, but to serve,” he added.
Cardinal Advincula likewise asked government leaders to seek good not only for some individuals or particular groups but for the entire Philippine society.
“Guided by truth, urged by charity, and passionate for justice and peace, may you spend yourselves in the service of the common good,” he said.
Cardinal Advincula, meanwhile, urged the public to rally behind the newly-elected officials of the country, especially the President and the Vice President, in order for them to effectively execute their mandate and fulfill their aspirations for the betterment of the nation.
“Mga kababayan, sa diwa ng bayanihan, sama-sama nating mahalin at paglingkuran ang ating bayan. Ipagdasal natin ang ating mga lider; tangkilikin natin ang kanilang mga mahuhusay at mabubuting hangarin at hakbangin. Kailangan nila ang panalangin at pagkikipagtulungan natin upang magbunga ang mga pagpupunyagi nila para sa ikabubuti nating lahat,” he stressed.
Also present during the mass were Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Erwin Tulfo, Justice Secretary Jesus “Boying” Crispin Remulla, Presidential Management Staff Chief Naida Angping, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr., Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople, NEDA Director-General Arsenio Balisacan, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, and Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III.
