Priests from the Archdiocese of Manila will hold a “penitential walk” on Thursday, Feb. 17, to pray for the voters as they choose the country’s next leaders in the May 2022 polls.

“We ask our fellow Filipinos to be ‘maka-Diyos kaya makabayan,’ to discern their choice well and prefer leaders who embody and promote the values of the Kingdom of God,” CBCP News quoted the statement of the archdiocese.
The archdiocese said they are doing the “alay-lakad” according to the pious Filipino sense of penance.
“For us Filipinos, doing acts of penitensya or sacrifice is never just for oneself, but always intercessory, that is, in behalf of others and in solidary with others,” it said.
“As a clergy, we shall make this act of sacrifice not only for our personal piety but also for the sake of our people and in communion with our people.” The activity will start with a 9 a.m. Mass at the Manila Cathedral with Cardinal Jose Advincula as the main presider and homilist.
The event also aims to mark the 150th anniversary of the martyrdom of the three priests Mariano Gomez, José Burgos and Jacinto Zamora, collectively known as GomBurZa.
After the Mass, the penitential walk will follow from the cathedral to the GomBurZa memorial markers at the Luneta Park, and then proceed to the Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guia in Ermita.