The KAISA Day of Prayer, initiated by Filipino pastors and churchgoers in Korea, pushed through on April 27. Pastors Levi Arnan and Ariel Bernardo let the more than 200+ Filipinos in singing hymns and praying for the families and the victims of the “Sewol” tragedy. The attendees wore white shirts as requested. They also brought candles while the Philippine Embassy in Korea donated the white mums that each attendee placed outside Danwon High School.
The assembly took place at Hwarang Park in Ansan City, near Choji Station. The park will host the permanent memorial for the students and teachers of Danwon High School who perished when the Korean ferry sank.
The short program started exactly at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. After the program, Anabelle Castro (the First Filipina police officer in South Korea) informed the people of how they should go to Danwon High School. Anabelle Castro is from Danwon Police Station in Ansan City.
The attendees walked from Hwarang Park to Danwon High School amidst the pouring rain. Officers from Ansan Police guided the way and stopped the traffic for the Filipinos marching to Danwon.
I was surprised to see the number of cars lined up on the streets to Danwon. There were also more yellow ribbons, more food offered, more notes posted and more flowers in front of the school.
After laying the flowers, my friends and I thought of lining up to get inside Ansan Olympic Memorial Hall, but the line was 240 meters long and I found out later that it was longer since we couldn’t see the line of people inside the neighboring school.
On the thirteenth day when the “Sewol” sank, life in Korea is still not normal. People have been cancelling happy events. Some entertainment shows on TV are still cancelled. Tours are being cancelled. And credit card usage has dropped!
My family is supposed to go on a tour to Ulleungdo and Dokdo from May 3 to 6, but we cancelled it last week.
I know everyone is hoping that things will go back to normal, but it won’t happen until everyone who perished in the tragedy is accounted for.
Please visit the Facebook page of KAISA DAY OF PRAYER for more photos.
I shared your video on my FB. thanks. We Filipinos here in Pinas join you and the South Korean nation in mourning and praying for the victims of the tragedy. I pray that we all learn the lessons from the tragedy so that the sacrifice that these kids suffered won’t be in vain.