We celebrated th mass for life and peace the Tagbilaran cathedral at 6:15 this morning. After breakfast, I packed my things and biked to the pier at 8:30 am. I took the supercat ferry and arived in Cebu by noontime. I was welcomed warmly by my Redemptorist confreres during lunch. I washed my clothes after lunch and then had a cup of cappucino at nearby coffee shop.
The press conference was at 4:30 pm followed by the Mass for Life and Peace at the Redemptorist church. 13 Redemptorist priests concelebrated and there was a big crowd who attended. I am touched by the support of my confreres.
Tomorrow will be a long day.
Day 6, March 29. Cebu-Santander-Dumaguete
At 6:20 this morning I continued my journey. This time, I have company: Patrick Loarca (who is biking with me for the next 5 days) , Sherwin and other members of the Cebu Extreme Bikers' Union, Councilor Boying Rodriguez and his Danao riders, and Rudy Weiler (a paraplegic), other bikers. There were over 20 of us biking along the scenic and rolling road to Santander.
We reached the pier of Liloan after 140 km of biking. While crossing the channel, the pumpboat stopped. There was no more fuel. Luckily there was some reserve. So I landed at the pier by 4 pm where we were met by some 15 members of the Negros Oriental Bikers Association.
I preached at the 5:30 pm mass.
While reading the papers tonight, my attention was caught by the news about the CPP ordering the NPA expand the guerrilla fronts in all the congressional districts and to increase the tactical offensives against the military. This is in defiance of the target set by the government to defeat the NPA by 2010.
My appeal to stop the war and to resume the peace negotiations is indeed urgent. (Fr. Amadao “Picx” L. Picardal, CssR, is on a 56-day journey around the country. This is an entry from his blog, http://amadopicardal.blogspot.com)