On April 9, Catholics from St. John the Baptist Parish in Quiapo and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrated their yearly gift-giving at the Manila Golden Mosque ahead of Eid'l Fitr, the end of Ramadan.
The holy month of Ramadan concluded on April 10, which the Philippine government observed as a national holiday.
The non-governmental Pacific Dialogue Foundation, which consists of Filipino and Turkish volunteers, and the interfaith organization Uniharmony Partners Manila organized the gift-giving ceremony.
According to Fr. Jesus M. Madrid Jr., the parochial vicar of the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazarene, commonly known as St. John the Baptist Parish at Quiapo, "this collaborative gift-giving is a community service for the needy on the occasion of Ramadan."
He claims that this outreach initiative contributes to the betterment of mutual respect, understanding, and collaboration amongst the many religious communities in the Philippines, particularly between Muslims and Christians.
The Manila Golden Mosque is located on one side of Manila's Quiapo area, while St. John the Baptist Parish is on the other.
According to Fr. Madrid, this is an important place to learn how to foster joy, peace, and harmony among various religious communities.
He also brought up the regular reports of disputes between Muslims and Christians in the nation, especially in Mindanao's southern portion. That ought to serve as a lesson to further emphasize the value of communication between different religions or religious communities.
Thousands of food baskets containing rice, groceries, canned goods, and other household items were given to the underprivileged Muslim brethren and other marginalized communities by Uniharmony Partners Manila, the Pacific Dialogue Foundation, Christians from St. John the Baptist Parish, and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints districts.
Speaking during the event, Jethro Marvin Bellen of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints stated that understanding amongst all peoples is fostered by this collaborative effort of community service.
"We invite individuals to make a sacrifice, such as skipping one or two meals a week, and the money raised will benefit the underprivileged," Bellen stated.
"Both communities share the concept of fasting: Muslims fast during Ramadan, and Christians fast during Lent," he continued.
"We are donating to charitable causes. He stated, "Ramadan is a season of sharing, almsgiving, and empathy, especially with the least fortunate.
Muslim brothers have applauded Christians for their efforts in organizing this gift-giving event.
"To have joy and peace in our communities and different religions, interfaith dialogue is crucial," stated a Muslim resident of the Quiapo neighborhood, Sultan Abdusalam Magarang.
He also mentioned that Christians had been receiving groceries for the five days leading up to the end of Ramadan.
Grand Imam Jalal Jamil of the Manila Golden Mosque responded, saying, "We are all members of the same family, the Almighty." Muslims and Christians must unite in their brotherhood and solidarity as members of a one-human community, just as we Filipinos must.
He also valued the initiatives taken by Christians to interact with Muslims in Quiapo and other places.
According to projections from the Philippine Statistics Authority, 6.98 million individuals, or 6.4% of the nation's overall population, identified as Muslims in 2020. The population of the Philippines was 118.2 million in January 2024.
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