A prelate on Monday called on the faithful to pray for the country’s leaders to act prudently to preserve the Philippines’ independence amid geopolitical tensions and other issues.

“Una ipagdasal po natin na maging maingat tayong lahat, ipagdasal natin ang ating mga leaders na sana maayos ang pamumuno nila na hindi sila magpadala sa kanino man at ganun din po magsikap din tayong pahalagahan ang independence natin (First, let us pray for all of us to be fine, let’s pray for our leaders for them to be circumspect in their acts of governance, for them not to be swayed by whoever and as for us, let’s work hard to value our independence),” said Bishop Broderick Padillo, head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)-Office on Stewardship in an interview with Church-run Radio Veritas.

Ahead of the country’s Independence Day commemoration on June 12, the prelate also called on Filipinos to stand for the country’s interests.

“‘Yan po ay biyaya ng Diyos na kailangan nating pangalagaan kaya’t tayo po ay katiwala din ng kanyang biyaya, lalong lalo na sa ating panahon ngayon na mayroon ng nakakabahala yung ating problema sa China, baka masangkot tayo sa gulo at mawala ang independence natin (This is a gift of God that we must protect, especially now we have a disturbing problem with China, we might be caught in conflict and we might lose our independence),” he added.

Pabillo is referring to China’s aggressive actions against Philippine forces in the West Philippine Sea.

He also hoped that Manila’s actions would be independent from the influence of other nations.

Over 11.6K cops to secure Independence Day

On Monday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said more than 11,000 police officers would secure the celebration of the country’s 126th Independence Day.

“We would deploy around 11,692 officers in various areas where activities would be held, including areas outside Metro Manila. We expect that the provinces and regions would also have their own Independence Day celebrations and our deployment would see adjustments depending on the situation in the coming days,” PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said in a press briefing.

Fajardo said police officers would be augmented by personnel from other agencies such as the Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Philippine Coast Guard.

She said local disaster risk reduction and management offices have also deployed personnel to secure these activities.

This year’s Independence Day celebration carries the theme “Kalayaan. Kinabukasan. Kasaysayan”. (PNA)