Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila, offered a mass at the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Sto. Niño de Tondo in Manila, for the soul of baby River, the 3-month-old daughter of detained activist Reina Mae Nasino who died on Oct. 9.
In his homily, the prelate said the although the life of baby River is short, it showed that something is wrong in the country's system.
"Something is wrong with our system that her young mother, 23-years old, is in jail not because she committed a wrong but because she was accused...that's why we seek justice and for the truth to come out," said Pabillo.
"Something is wrong that the mother who gave birth in jail need to be separated from her child. Have we lost our humanity?" he added.
Pabillo also recalled how the mother was still in handcuffs and surrounded by police during the funeral of River.
"They didn't even give her privacy," he said.
According to the group Kapatid, masses for baby River were also held at the Parish of the Risen Christ in Balut, Tondo; at National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Baclaran and at the Sto. Niño de Puncan Parish in Nueva Ecija.
They added that an evensong (night prayers) was also dedicated to River by Bishop Rhee Timbang, Obispo Maximo of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, at the National Cathedral along Taft Avenue.
In a statement, Kapatid expressed their gratitude for the continued outpour of support for Nasino and Baby River, whom they consider as their youngest member.