INTRODUCTION
A joyous Easter greeting to you all!

Isang maluwalhating pasko ng pagkabuhay sa inyong lahat.

This is a glorious day of hope and renewal for each of us, as Christians who believe in the redemptive power of Christ’s love, and as Filipinos who know the meaning and the virtue of sacrifice.

Christ’s resurrection — his triumph over death — is his greatest gift to us, greater even than our temporal lives, because it is the gift of hope. It is the gift of knowing, through one’s faith, that life has meaning, that life continues, that life can be better for those willing to believe.
CHRIST’S MESSAGE OF HOPE
This Easter, I ask our people to receive and to share this message that Christ proclaimed in his rising: let be bearers of hope.

There could have been no greater darkness than that which enclosed Christ in his tomb. In our national life, we may have sometimes felt such a darkness descending upon us — the darkness of despair, discord and both spiritual and material deprivation.

Today Christ himself assures us that we can follow in his footsteps and walk towards the light of a new day. He reminds us that faith will always overcome despair. Lagi pagwawagihan ng pananampalataya ang karimlan ng kawalang pag-asa.

We may think that we had some reason to doubt ourselves, and even God’s compassion. Like other countries and peoples, we have suffered the periodic ravages of natural disasters, violence, poverty, and greed.

But to dwell largely on our miseries as a nation can only be the surest way to put out the light of hope among us. That is walking toward the tomb.

Indeed, we must point out and denounce acts and practices that violate our common humanity, to defend the dignity and integrity of all life. But neither can we afford to forget the promises that come from god’s good news — which essentially is the imperishable message of resurrection and deliverance.
WE HAVE MUCH TO THANK FOR
Taking Christ into our hearts, let us remind ourselves and others that amidst our many trials and tribulations, there are many blessings to be thankful for in our common life together. And what is more, we are continuing our journey forward, and not merely moving as in a circle of despair.

Let us refuse to be consumed by the cynicism of others, nor to be represented as a whole by the failures of a few. Rather, let us rediscover and share the goodness and the talent inherent in each of us.
CLOSING
Huwag po tayong manlumo, sapagkat narito na si Kristo sa ating pagitan, at inaanyayahan niya tayong makisalo at makipagdiwang sa kaniyang muling pagkabuhay.
Tahakin natin ang kaniyang landas, tungo sa maaliwalas na kinabukasan nating lahat!