THE "National Cry for Mercy and Renewal," which was called by the Archdiocese of Davao to be prayed beginning October 7, 2025, the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, and on the succeeding Sundays, will commence on November 23, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus, King of the Universe.
In a circular number 45, released by the Archdiocese of Davao on October 4, 2025, the memo addressed the clergy, religious communities, GKKs (Gagmay'ng Kristohanong Katilingban or translated into English as small Christian communities), families, Catholic schools, Aclaim, and the faithful of the Archdiocese of Davao, Archbishop Romulo G. Valles called on them to pray the "National Cry for Mercy and Renewal" as a sustained act of supplication for God’s mercy and renewal of our people beginning October 7 (Tuesday), and the Sundays of October 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16 and November 23.
"Please be guided that this prayer is to be prayed within the Masses in the days indicated above. It is also encouraged to be prayed in homes, and we ask our GKKs, families, schools, and Church groups and organizations to pray this together regularly," the archbishop stated in the memo.
"Let us unite in prayer, asking the Lord, through the intercession of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, to heal and renew our nation with his grace and love," Valles added.
National Day of Prayer and Public Repentance
The prayer was the answer to the call of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for a “National Day of Prayer and Public Repentance” on Oct. 7, citing the country’s continued struggles with calamities and corruption issues.
In a letter to dioceses, CBCP president Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David asked that a special prayer be recited beginning Oct. 7.
National Cry for Mercy and Renewal
The prayer, titled “A National Cry for Mercy and Renewal” is asking God to hear the voices of the people “as we walk in the valley of darkness”.
"We come before You today, humbled and broken, like a stray sheep that has fallen from the cliff, clinging desperately to a brittle branch, crying out for rescue."
It also asks God for forgiveness for letting darkness thrive by the Filipino people's compromises — "small or great", such as "bribing fixers and traffic enforcers, tolerating lies and falsehood in media, accepting donations from plunderers and exploiters, and covering injustice with silence or convenience."
"We are submerged, Lord, in calamities — floods, earthquakes, fires, typhoons. But worse are the wounds we inflict upon ourselves: scandalous budget insertions that deprived the poor of funds for health care, education, and welfare; substandard infrastructure that robs us of genuine progress; political dynasties that act like new feudal lords, keeping our people poor and dependent on dole-outs — a rich nation drowning in taxes, yet kept poor by a politics of patronage," the prayer states.
Additionally, the prayer also asks God's mercy to "Heal our Land".
Lastly, it asks the Holy Spirit to "renew the face of the earth, renew the heart of our nation."
Widespread corruption in the Philippines
The Philippines is not new to corruption issues. In fact, the country is ranked 114th out of 180 countries in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), according to Transparency International. Its CPI score is 33 out of 100, meaning high perceived public-sector corruption.
By comparison, the global average in the CPI is 43 out of 100.
On July 28, 2025, President Marcos, in his State of the Nation Address, orders an audit of flood-control projects, citing possible corruption in hundreds of projects. As a result, the Department of Public Works and Highways audited nearly 9,855 flood-control projects as part of the investigation in August. Also in the same month, the Senate found out that many flood-control projects may be overpriced or “ghost” projects. The House of Representatives, for its part, launched a “transparent probe” into corruption, waste, and poor performance in flood control programs. On September 16, 2025, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) was formed to probe anomalous infrastructure projects, particularly flood control. In a news report from AP, several former engineers have testified that many projects were built substandard or used low-quality materials in exchange for large kickbacks
In September, massive protests (“Trillion Peso March”) erupt nationwide, demanding accountability for flood-control corruption. According to Greenpeace Philippines, it estimated that as much as ₱1.089 trillion in climate-tagged infrastructure funding may have been lost to corruption since 2023, much of it under DPWH flood control projects. CEA