PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday used his Eid al-Adha greeting to ask Filipinos of all faiths to think about what they can give up for the country’s benefit.
Marking the Feast of Sacrifice—which coincides with the end of the Hajj—Marcos said the true test of an offering is “not how much is given, but what is restored: dignity where there was dismissal, fairness where there was neglect, and compassion where there was indifference.”
Linking the day to the Qur’anic story of the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael, the President said devotion often appears “when we are asked to release what we once believed we could never give.” Such moments, he added, define the “thin border between obedience and resistance, where the soul must decide what truly matters.”
Marcos described Eid al-Adha as an invitation to embark on a “more difficult journey”—one that trades certainty and pride for renewal and service. “When we set aside our temporal concerns,” he said, “we make room for truth and allow it to shape the public good.”
Eid al-Adha, together with Eid al-Fitr, is one of Islam’s two major holidays.
