VP Sara Duterte prays for Roxas Night Market bombing victims ahead of Undas

Vice President Sara Duterte offered prayers at the memorial for victims of the 2016 Roxas Night Market bombing in Davao City ahead of Undas, according to POLITIKO.

In a Facebook post dated October 30 and titled "A Time for Remembrance and Prayer," Duterte shared her visit to the memorial honouring the 15 people killed in the September 2, 2016 attack. Writing in Filipino, she said prayers had been offered for the souls of the victims and expressed hope that they would find eternal peace with God.

The blast hit the busy massage area of the night market along Roxas Avenue on a Friday evening, when vendors, customers and masseuses were gathered there. Around 70 people were also wounded, POLITIKO reported. Duterte was Davao City mayor at the time, while her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, had been in office for just over two months.

A Taguig court convicted seven people of murder over the attack in 2020 and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

According to the report, the memorial continues to serve as a place of remembrance for survivors and bereaved families. The Davao City government has kept up assistance to victims and their families, and yearly commemorations have brought survivors and relatives together for prayers and flower offerings.

In the same post, Duterte also prayed for Filipinos dealing with poverty and other difficulties, asking for the intercession of the saints "as we lift our country in prayer, especially for our fellow Filipinos who continue to endure hardship and poverty." She added: "May God grant them hope and strength to overcome the challenges they face."

She also remembered departed loved ones and closed her message with the traditional prayer for the dead. Her visit came before All Saints' Day on November 1 and All Souls' Day on November 2, when Filipinos customarily visit cemeteries and memorial sites.