Legarda encourages Filipinos to support the Muslim community on the first day of Ramadan

Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda today encouraged all Filipinos, regardless of religious beliefs, to express their support for and solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters.

“As a sacred month, observed with great importance by our Muslim brothers and sisters, the Ramadan has become a familiar occasion even to our Catholic-dominated nation. We hope that beyond familiarity, the observance would foster deeper understanding of Islam among Filipinos regardless of faith or religious belief,” Legarda said.

“I wish to extend my sincerest admiration for each and every one of you as you reaffirm your deep spiritual devotion to and strengthen your faith in God. The pandemic that we are currently facing may have hindered you from celebrating this holy month in the same way you usually do. Still, I am sure that with your deep faith and devotion, discipline and obedience, Ramadan will be as meaningful as it was before the pandemic,” Legarda added.

“I once again wish you a peaceful and meaningful observation of Ramadan and, to the rest of the nation, let us join the celebration of this occasion that signifies faith, self-discipline, patience, the willingness to sacrifice, and compassion, which are vital virtues that all Filipinos must have to become better individuals who contribute to the betterment of the country,” Legarda concluded.

Legarda co-authored R.A. 9177, or the Eid’l Fitr Law, which decreed that the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar, as a national holiday for the observance of Eid’l Fitr. She authored R.A. 9849 that further decreed the tenth day of Zhul Hijja, the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar, as a national holiday for the observance of Eid’l Adha. Legarda also co-authored R.A. 11054 or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, a law that aims to achieve lasting peace and equitable and sustainable development in the Bangsamoro region.**