Muslims in Metro Manila peacefully mark Eid'l Adha

Muslims peacefully marked on Tuesday Eid'l Adha, or the feast of patriarch Abraham’s act of great sacrifice, in obedience to God's commandment. In Manila, radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported thousands of Muslims gathered at the Quirino Grandstand before sunrise to offer prayers. The families at the Quirino Grandstand brought food that they ate after the prayers. Several Muslims also gathered at the Manila Golden Mosque in the city's Quiapo district to recite prayers marking the occasion. Police teams that secured the two venues reported no untoward incident, the dzBB report said. Eid'l Adha is a national holiday in the Philippines according to Republic Act 9849, though the feast is observed at a movable date. For this year’s observance, President Benigno Aquino III, through Proclamation No. 60, declared November 16 as a non-working holiday. Meanwhile, President Aquino greeted Muslims on their feast of sacrifice. Aquino's message was posted on the government portal Tuesday morning. The message is as follows: Assalamu Alaikum! My warmest greetings to the Muslim Ummah, particularly to the Muslim Filipinos, as you celebrate this year’s Eid’l Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, which highlights the observance of religious rituals for the annual hadjj or pilgrimage to Makkah Al-Mukarramah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Eid’l Adha is one of Islam’s great feasts, laden with both religious and social significance. The message of steadfast faith and sacrifice for the greater good is congruent with the journey of transformation the Philippines is undertaking — within the government and among out people — for the realization of our collective dreams for the nation. I enjoin everyone to unite for the sake of national progress. As we all work to uphold “Faith in the people and Faith in God," let us always take to heart the principles that inspire us to take the righteous path, and allow us to hold the course despite the challenges we might encounter. May you have a meaningful Eid’l Adha! — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV