VP Sara Duterte visits memorial for Super Typhoon Yolanda victims

Vice President Sara Duterte paid respects to the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda, which hit Tacloban City in 2013, a few days before All Saints' Day.

Duterte visited the Holy Cross Memorial Gardens on Friday where the victims of the calamity were laid to rest. She was joined by personnel of the Office of the Vice President-Eastern Visayas Satellite Office.

"Nag-alay tayo ng bulaklak at nagsindi ng mga kandila, kasabay ng ating mga panalangin para sa kapayapaan ng kanilang mga kaluluwa," she said in a Facebook post.

(We offered flowers and lit candles, along with our prayers for the peace of their souls.)

The vice president also encouraged the public to pray for the souls of those who died from calamities.

"Sa ating paggunita sa Araw ng mga Patay, isama natin sa ating mga panalangin ang mga kababayan nating biktima ng kalamidad at sakuna, gayundin ang kanilang mga naiwang pamilya," said Duterte. "Patuloy tayong maging matatag sa gitna ng mga pagsubok sa ating buhay."

(As we commemorate All Saints' Day, let us include in our prayers our fellow countrymen who were victims of calamities and disasters, as well as the families they left behind. Let us continue to stay strong amid the trials in our lives.)

Yolanda was the worst storm to hit the Philippines, with thousands of lives killed and 1.14 million houses damaged.

Roxas Night Market bombing victims

On October 30, Duterte also honored the lost lives in the Roxas Night Market bombing in Davao City last 2016, which killed more than 10 individuals.

"Binisita ko ang memorial ng ating mga kababayang nasawi sa pambobomba sa Roxas Night Market noong 2016. Sa banal na paggunita na ito, nag-alay tayo ng panalangin para sa kanilang mga kaluluwa. Nawa’y matagpuan nila ang walang hanggang kapayapaan sa piling ng ating mapagmahal na Maykapal," she said in another Facebook post.

(I visited the memorial of our fellow countrymen who perished in the Roxas Night Market bombing in 2016. In this holy commemoration, we offered prayers for their souls. May they find eternal peace in the presence of our loving Almighty.)

—Vince Angelo Ferreras/KG, GMA News