“LET THE
STONES
CRY OUT!”
Luke 19:40
For Justice, Peace, Human Rights, & Integrity of Creation.
People Power Rally -
Philippine Consulate,
Los Angeles CA
2/25/2026
National Ecumenical
Forum for Filipino
Concerns-Inland Empire
Message delivered by
Naida Castro
NEFFCON-IE Executive Director
I speak today on behalf of the National Ecumenical
Forum for Filipino Concerns – Inland Empire, a
community of people of faith committed to living out
our mission of service to the Filipino people, advancing
justice, peace, human rights, and the integrity of
creation, and strengthening solidarity with the poor and
marginalized both in the Philippines and in the diaspora.
Today, February 25, we commemorate the 40
anniversary of the People Power Revolution, the day the
Stones Cried Out. Today, we recall the hundreds of
thousands of unarmed civilians inside Manila, the capital
of the Philippines, along the famous EDSA and outside
the capital in Cebu, Baguio, Pampanga, and many other
major cities throughout the archipelago. The
overwhelming number of individuals who walked
together-families with their children, with their friends,
and with their neighbors, including clergy and nuns; our
brothers and sisters walking from all walks of life, faith
and culture demonstrating solidarity, courage, and
resilience to fight against injustice, violence, oppression,
marginalization, and corruption in government.
th
The People Power Revolution in 1986 was a picture of success in our
struggles.
But most of all, today, we stand here outside the Philippine Consulate.
We stand here because love of country cannot mean silence in the face
of continued corruption among the elite in government. We cannot and
must not close our eyes and our ears and be nonchalant, pretending
that everything is fine while our people endure grave sufferings resulting
from stolen public funds and broken public trust.
Our distance from our kababayan in the Philippines must never deter us
from intently hearing the cry of our people. We need to listen; “Let the
Stones Cry Out” so that justice may serve, peace may reign, and human
dignity may rise.
The scandal of ghost flood control projects is not just about
infrastructure. It is about people’s lives. These were projects meant to
protect communities from typhoons and floodings, projects funded by
the hard-earned taxes of the Filipino people. Instead, they became
channels for private enrichment. When flood projects exist only on
paper, it is not paper that drowns — it is families. It is farmers. It is
workers. It is the urban poor.
And corruption does not stop at the borders of the Philippines. Here in
Southern California, we have witnessed how overseas Filipino workers
seeking assistance are met with indifference, delay, or even hostility.
Funds, like ATN (Assistance to Nationals) and AKSYON (Agarang Kalinga
at Saklolo para sa mga OFW na Nangangailangan) fund, which are meant
to serve our kababayan in crisis, begin to resemble ghost projects
themselves when access is denied and accountability disappears,
while consulate officials enrich themselves with funds meant to help our
kababayan in need.
This is why we call for a full investigation into Macy Maglanque’s record
and her family’s ties to corruption. This is why we demand transparency
regarding the ATN and AKSYON funds. This is why we insist that public
officials with private business interests tied to government contracts have
no place in public office. Public service must never become a private
enterprise.
As people of faith, our call for accountability is not only political, but
spiritual. It is beyond me that many people of faith still among our
communities continue to misunderstand the meaning of the separation of
church and state. It is and always has been our right as faithful citizens to
take our prayers beyond the confines of our homes and churches by
getting involved in the socio-economic, and political life of the people to
build the City of God. Know that our Popes remind us that politics is the
highest form of charity.
In the Gospel of Luke, the Pharisees demanded that Jesus silence his
disciples because they were uncomfortable with the praise rising from the
people. They wanted order. They wanted quiet. They wanted control. And
Jesus responded, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry
out.” (Luke 19:40)
What does it mean for stones to cry out?
The Bible teaches us that the stones are not lifeless objects. They are the
people — especially those treated as disposable, immovable, insignificant.
The peasants without land. The workers denied fair wages. The urban poor
facing demolition. The migrants navigating detention, wage theft, and
unwarranted deportation. The stones are those whom society attempts to
silence.
If those who claim to represent faith refuse to speak, the people will speak.
If officials refuse to act justly, the people will demand justice. If institutions
attempt to suppress dissent, the cry for righteousness will not disappear; it
will deepen.
This moment reminds us that faith has never been neutral in the face of
injustice. During the first People Power uprising, people of faith stood in the
streets. Churches opened their doors as sanctuaries. Religious leaders
spoke against dictatorship and cronyism. They did not remain in the safety
of abstraction. They stepped into history.
And we are called to do the same.
Jesus did not confine his ministry to private spirituality. He proclaimed
good news to the poor and set captives free. (Isaiah 61:1) He confronted
the misuse of religious authority. He overturned tables in the Temple
(Matthew 21:12) when sacred space had been turned into a marketplace of
exploitation. His actions were not random displays of anger; they were
declarations that God’s house could not be aligned with greed.
We must ask ourselves honestly: can we serve both God and mammon?
Can we claim devotion while ignoring systems that enrich a few at the
expense of many? Can we preach love while tolerating structures that
abandon migrant workers and leave communities defenseless against
disaster?
The Gospel does not allow us to split ourselves in half. To love God is to
love our neighbor. And in Luke’s Gospel, loving one’s neighbor is not
abstract charity. It is recognizing the neighbor in the poor, the violated, the
oppressed. It is aligning our lives with their struggle for dignity.
This is why our presence here matters. We are not here merely to protest a
single official. We are here to reject a pattern of corruption that stretches
from flood control contracts in Bulacan to unresponsive offices in Los
Angeles. We are here to affirm that the struggle of the poor for justice is
not separate from our faith; it is the living expression of it.
Our faith reminds us that apart from the poor and their liberating struggle,
there can be no genuine social transformation. When we strengthen our
communion with the struggling masses, we participate in the unfolding of
God’s Reign in history. When we dare to speak even under pressure, we
embody that love-ethic that sides not with profit, but with people.
So if we are told to quiet down, we remember that silence has never been
the final word. If we are dismissed, we remember that history moves
because ordinary people refuse to disappear. If we are pressured to
accept corruption as normal, we remember that the stones — the people
— will always cry out.
Today, we stand in continuity with those who once gathered in the capital
of Manila along EDSA and in other major cities in the Philippines, who
believed that moral courage could confront entrenched power. We stand
with migrant workers who continue to organize despite of fear. We stand
with communities back home who rebuild after every storm, even as they
demand accountability.
May our gathering today be more than symbolic. May it
deepen our commitment to justice, peace, and the
integrity of creation. May it renew our conviction that faith
without solidarity is empty, and that love without justice is
incomplete.
Let the stones cry out — not in despair, but in
determination. Let the people cry out — not in chaos, but
in clarity. And let us, as people of faith, refuse to be silent
when the dignity of our nation and the lives of our people
are at stake.
People of faith must live:
1. The value of human dignity and the integrity of creation;
that human person is sacred and social, and that taking
care of our environment is divine.
2. To ensure basic human needs of life; that all people
have the rights and responsibilities to protect the rights of
others, and put the needs of the least among us first, and
in solidarity with one another.
Love God. Love your neighbor. Serve the people!
Maraming salamat. Mabuhay ang sambayanang Pilipino.
Laban tayo!
