President Rodrigo Roa Duterte rallied for national unity and prayer as the country observes the Lenten Season in the midst of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

“This being the Holy Week, I am calling on the nation to come together this Holy Wednesday afternoon and pay tribute to the indomitable spirit of the Filipino and unite in one prayer to God to fight our common enemy,” President Duterte said in a televised address Monday night.

The President said that he has been praying that the current crisis will soon be over. “Iyong gabi, nagising ako, nakatutok ako sa madilim na langit. Well, it’s a private thing but nagdadasal ako. Basta nagdasal ako para sa bayan ko.”

At this time, it’s hard to tell if there’s an improvement following few weeks of community quarantine, he said.

The Chief Executive also once again appealed for public cooperation as the country grapples to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ang hinihingi ko sa inyo, ‘yung panawagan ko: Be patient at intindihin ninyo kami sa gobyerno. We would appreciate it.”

He asked Filipinos to heed government’s advice to stay home to avoid contracting the deadly virus. Companies, he said, must also extend help to the government particularly by providing support to their employees.

Roman Catholics around the world have been experiencing an unusual observance of the Lenten Season as governments imposed restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19.

They are advised to observe social distancing, home quarantine, and cancellation of mass gatherings as safety precaution. PND