PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday extended greetings to Filipino-Muslims who will be observing the month-long Holy Feast of Ramadan that officially starts Wednesday.
In a statement, Aquino said: "Ramadan is a time of both sacrifice and purification: as you fast, pray, and act with kindness towards the poor and less fortunate, may the whole
world also pause to reflect on the value of forgoing worldly pleasures to cleanse the body, mind, and soul."
The President noted that the Muslim Holy Feast is also a time of great hope and that the Filipino people share this Ramadan spirit.
"As we collectively acknowledge our failure in the stewardship of our people and resources, we must undergo difficult sacrifices. As we heal the wounds of our nation, in justice, each and everyone needs to accept his or her shortcomings and resolve to take the straight path.
The straight path demands thinking less of ourselves and more of what we can do for the
greater good," he added.
The month-long Islamic religious observance is commemorated by an estimated one billion Muslims worldwide, marked by fasting, prayer, and reflections.
In the Philippines, Muslims strictly observe fasting starting 4 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m. Ramadan ends on September 9. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)