President Marcos: Spread kindness, selflessness this Holy Week

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos joined Filipino Catholics in marking the beginning of the Holy Week on Palm Sunday, reminding the faithful not to forget the essence of the religious occasion by spreading kindness and selflessness.

“In this solemn occasion, let us not only seek to unravel the mysteries of our faith, but also to illuminate the path for others through acts of kindness and selflessness,” Marcos said in his Holy Week message.

Catholics yesterday observed Palm Sunday, the final Sunday of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week in the Christian calendar.

More than 85 million Filipinos are Roman Catholic, representing 78.8 percent of the over 108 million people counted in the 2020 Census of Population and Housing by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Immigration officials are warning the public against scammers and online scams operating fake websites with charging fees for eTravel registration.

“We advise the traveling public to be cautious and register exclusively on the official government website, or through the eGovPH application. The eTravel registration process is absolutely free of charge,” said Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco.

The eTravel system launched earlier this year serves as a single data collection platform for arriving and departing passengers, integrating border control, health surveillance and economic data analysis.

Passengers have reportedly been duped by fake eTravel websites charging them between P3,000 to P5,000.

The official web address is etravel.gov.ph.

Fraudulent websites or entities demanding online payments must be reported immediately to the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, Tansingco said.

There are eTravel kiosks deployed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and major international airports.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) yesterday placed 44 airports under its management on heightened alert as part of the Department of Transportation’s “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Semana Santa 2024.”

Service chiefs and airport managers have been directed to implement round-the-clock operations such as direct communication lines.

A “no leave policy” was observed to ensure