A time to heal, a time to hope

Today, as Christendom celebrates the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are once again reminded that hope triumphs over despair, light over darkness, and peace over conflict.

- JOSE DE VENECIA JR. FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

Yet even as churches across our country echo with joyful proclamations of “He is risen!”, we remain painfully aware of the divisions that fracture our society, the violence that engulfs many parts of the world, and the uncertainties that cloud the future of humankind.

In the Philippines, political strife and bitter polarization have sadly become the norm. As a lifelong advocate of public unity, we have always believed that politics, at its noblest, should be a platform for building bridges—not erecting walls. But today, the widening gap between leaders and citizens, between ideologies and institutions, reminds us that we must urgently revive the spirit of dialogue, cooperation, and mutual respect. For our democracy to endure, we must not merely tolerate dissent—we must understand it.