Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 21) — President Rodrigo Duterte called on Filipinos to show compassion for the suffering and marginalized people of the nation in his Christmas message.
“In the midst of all merriment, let us pause and remember our countrymen who have lost their lives fighting for the integrity of our country, and for those who lost their homes and loved ones in the recent war, those who are far from their families, and those who are not as fortunate and as blessed as most of us,” Duterte said.
“Let us show our true compassion and include them in our supplications during the Yuletide season,” he added.
The Presidential Communications Operations Office posted Duterte’s Christmas message on Thursday.
The President also wished for a “progressive and peaceful country, and for the prosperity of our countrymen.”
In his message, Duterte may have been referring to the five-month long Marawi crisis, where 165 members of the government forces were killed in clashes with the terror group Maute. Military said 962 terrorists died in the firefights.
Numerous lives were also lost in the administration’s war against illegal drugs, with operations conducted by the police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
According to PDEA, there have been only 29 deaths in its operations from July 1, 2016 to November 3, 2017, while police data showed 80 uniformed personnel and 3,933 drug personalities were killed in its drug ops from July 31, 2016 to October 10, 2017.
