As Catholic faithfuls rejoiced in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana expressed hope that the celebration of Easter Sunday on April 4 would give Filipinos a 'strengthened faith' and 'stronger determination' to overcome the challenges faced by the country, especially the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the increased tension in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
"Easter gives us renewed hope for a better 'new normal.' We can apply the lessons we have learned over the past year, turn setbacks into opportunities, and leverage on each other's strengths," Lorenzana, who also sits as the chairman of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, said in a statement.
The country is facing another surge of COVID-19 cases as more than 10,000 new cases were recorded multiple times in the past week. There were a total of 784,043 cases as of Black Saturday with more than 165,000 active cases or those who have yet to recover.
To address the rapid increase of new infections, President Duterte has extended the enforcement of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal (NCR+) for one week, or until April 11. ECQ was earlier implemented in NCR+ from March 29 to April 4.
"With the spirit of bayanihan, we hope to soon rebuild our economy, reunite with our communities, and recuperate from the loss of lives and tragic experiences that this pandemic has brought us," said Lorenzana.
Meanwhile, Lorenzana reaffirmed the commitment of the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to protect and defend the country from all forms of internal and external threats.
"Signifying rebirth, Easter brings forth a spirit that enliven the morale of our soldiers and reignites our resolve in protecting our nation's sovereignty and serving our people with utmost professionalism and patriotism," he said.
"It is with fervent hope that the message of Easter would also resonate with our global leaders, that they may choose peace over war, life over death, and cooperation over division," he added.
Lorenzana was engaged in a heated exchange with the Chinese Embassy over the continued presence of Chinese vessels at the Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea.
On Black Saturday, he again urged China to withdraw the remaining 44 boats still moored at the Julian Felipe Reef, noting that he won't be fooled by the reasoning of Beijing that the vessels were in the area just to seek refuge from the bad weather as earlier claimed by the Chinese Embassy.
"I am no fool. The weather has been good so far, so they have no other reason to stay there. These vessels should be on their way out. Umalis na kayo dyan (Leave the area)," Lorenzana said.
The Chinese Embassy responded to the "perplexing" statement of Lorenzana and claimed that Julian Felipe Reef, which it calls Niu'Jiao, is part of their Nansha Islands.
"It is completely normal for Chinese fishing vessels to fish in the waters and take shelter bear the reef during rough sea conditions. Nobody has the right to make wanton remarks on such activities," it said.