At dawn on Easter Sunday, more than 600 Christians gathered at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City to mark not only the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but also the continued fight for justice and human rights in the Philippines.
The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), the largest alliance of Protestant and non-Roman Catholic churches in the country, led the 76th Ecumenical Easter Sunrise Service themed Kristong Buhay: Sandigan ng Gawa at Pagninilay (The Living Christ: Foundation of Action and Reflection). This year’s easter service urged attendees to move beyond faith and reflect on action.
The Most Rev. Brent Harry Alawas, Acting Chairperson of the NCCP, challenged those gathered: “It is our mission to create our resurrection stories so that our nation no longer has to only experience Good Friday.”
Rev. Alawas emphasized that despite Christ’s resurrection offering hope, the majority of Filipinos still face marginalization and poverty, which he likened to modern-day crucifixions. He challenged the audience to act against these injustices, much like the sacrifice of Christ.
Resurrection of hope
Throughout the service, prayer leaders from different communities raised various issues, including the rising cost of living, rampant poverty, human rights violations, and the worsening climate crisis, among others. They also highlighted the role of the upcoming 2025 midterm elections in challenging political aspirants, calling on to reject political dynasties and self-serving, traditional or ‘trapo’ leaders.
“Easter Sunday is a reminder that the Lord is alive. And He is our strength as we continue the fight for justice,” said Llore Pasco, an advocate from Rise Up for Life and for Rights and mother to Crisanto and Juan Carlos Lozano, who are victims of extrajudicial killings at the height of the former Duterte administration’s war on drugs campaign in 2017.
Pasco expressed that Duterte’s arrest at the International Criminal Court on crimes against humanity gave her a sense of fulfillment. But justice, she added, remains elusive.
“Faith alone is not enough. We must also act. That’s why I’m here,” she asserted.
Pasco further recalled it was Rise Up and the church who helped many families of the victims of the bloody drug war: from assisting at the funeral, sitting through the hearings, and continuing to join the families in showing up, remembering, and speaking out to demand justice for their slain loved ones.
“We continue to act. We keep encouraging others to come forward and speak out,” Pasco emphasized. “Because if not now, when? If not us, who?”
Pasco’s prayer is not just for spiritual renewal, but for a moral reawakening, especially among those in power.
“This Easter Sunday, as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, we call on the government to also awaken and stop the killings. We want Duterte to be convicted for the peace and justice of all the victims of oppression and human rights violations. We also hope that the Philippines will return to the International Criminal Court,” Pasco concluded.
Far from over
Mervin Toquero, Deputy General Secretary of the NCCP, noted the importance of holding the annual easter service event at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which is a monument dedicated to victims of political persecution during Martial Law.
“We believe it is meaningful to hold the Easter Sunrise Service here, not only to commemorate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ but also to celebrate the resurrection of democracy after Martial Law, a democracy that continues to be fought for,” he shared, recounting the life of the late Bishop La Verne Mercado, who was imprisoned during Martial Law for his outspoken opposition.
Toquero assailed that injustice and human rights violations remain persistent, even with yet another Marcos administration.
In KARAPATAN’s 2024 Year-End report on human rights situation in the Philippines, the rights group documented 119 extrajudicial killings, 76 frustrated extrajudicial killings, 14 enforced disappearances, 762 political prisoners, and 3,706,431 cases of threats, harassment, and intimidation as of the end of 2024.
Meanwhile, drug-related deaths rose in the second year of President Marcos Jr.’s term, according to Project Dahas. From July 2023 to June 2024, 361 people were killed in drug-related incidents, higher than the recorded deaths the year before. The group also found that 33.8% of these killings were carried out by state agents.
“The killings, the extrajudicial executions, the attacks on activists—these are still happening,” Toquero said.
Toquero recalled that during Duterte’s term, church workers, including members of the NCCP, were relentlessly red-tagged for advocating human rights and providing sanctuary to individuals facing continued state repression, particularly indigenous peoples. He also noted that the violations of international humanitarian law were rampant, including bombings of rural communities and Lumad schools, which not only displaced many IPs and peasant communities but also stripped Lumad youth of their right to education.
The NCCP further highlighted their support for the White Ribbon: Duterte Panagutin campaign, which demands accountability for the thousands killed in the brutal drug campaign.
“In John 10:10, Jesus Christ promises us a full and abundant life. We, as God’s creation, can only experience this kind of life if everyone enjoys their human rights. Human rights include the right to food, the right to job security, and the right to work—basic rights that many people in our country have yet to experience,” Toquero concluded.
At the core of the Easter message is the belief that resurrection is not only for the dead—it is for a nation long silenced and wounded in its continued struggle for accountability and justice.
