VP Sara Duterte prays at Roxas Night Market bombing memorial ahead of Undas

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

Duterte shared the visit in a Facebook post on Friday, October 30, titled "A Time for Remembrance and Prayer." Writing in Filipino, she said she had prayed for the souls of those who died and hoped they would find eternal peace with God.

The attack on September 2, 2016 hit the busy massage area of the night market along Roxas Avenue on a Friday evening, when vendors, customers and masseuses had gathered. It killed 15 people and wounded around 70. 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 suspects of murder in 2020 and sentenced them to life imprisonment, POLITIKO reported.

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

In the same post, Duterte also prayed for Filipinos living in poverty and other difficult circumstances, asking for the intercession of the saints. "May God grant them hope and strength to overcome the challenges they face," she said. She also remembered departed loved ones and closed with a traditional prayer for the dead.

Her visit came ahead of All Saints' Day on November 1 and All Souls' Day on November 2, when Filipinos traditionally visit cemeteries and memorial sites.