A NUN who was at the frontline of the 1986 People Power Revolution succumbed to cancer on Tuesday, December 22.
Sr. Porferia “Pingping” Ocariza passed away after a long battle with cancer, a CBCP News report said. She was 63.
"Farewell, Sr. Pingping Ocariza! A brave soldier of Christ, who fought for the country's freedom. You spread the Good News without getting tired," CBCP News said, quoting the Facebook post of the Daughters of St. Paul Philippines.
"Sr. Pingping, a Daughter of St. Paul, was one of the icons of the 1986 Edsa revolution. She passed away on Dec. 22, 2020 after a long battle with cancer. Let us pray for her eternal repose," the post stated.
Ocariza was among the nuns who led the crowd in praying of the rosary in front of the state troopers and their tanks along Edsa in 1986.
A photo of her and Sr. Teresita Burias praying the rosary in front of soldiers became an iconic photograph of the revolution.
In an interview with the Catholic News Service in 2016, Ocariza said her experience in the historic uprising had a huge impact on her faith and vocation.
“Because, for me, at that time, when we were facing the tanks, I believed heavily that God was there,” the nun said.
“God was there as if the seed of democracy was being planted," she added. (HDT / SunStar Philippines)