DAVAO CITY/DAGUPAN CITY — The Catholic archbishop of Davao has called on Filipinos to “reject hatred and division” and turn to prayer as former president Rodrigo Duterte faces trial at the International Criminal Court.

Archbishop Romulo Valles, in a pastoral message to his flock, urged the faithful to choose “dialogue over discord” and “reconciliation over conflict” after Duterte’s arrest.

“At this critical moment in our nation’s history, let us turn to prayer, seeking God’s mercy and guidance of the Holy Spirit,” Valles said.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, meanwhile, urged Filipinos to exercise restraint in response to the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a statement, Archbishop Villegas  warned that misinformation and division threaten to deepen the nation’s fractures amid heightened political tensions.

“As if we do not have an excess of reasons to be divided as a nation, here is fate giving us another explosive situation,” Villegas said. “Let us widen the space for sobriety.”

The archbishop stressed the need for truth as the foundation of public discourse, calling on Filipinos to verify their sources of information.

“With sobriety hopefully comes critical thinking,” he said. “So much misinformation, disinformation and mal-information are in cyberspace. The only basis for our words and actions must be the truth and nothing else.”

Villegas, the former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, also warned against division, likening deception to the work of “Satan, the prince of lies and sower of division.”

Duterte’s trial over his deadly war on drugs has sparked protests and debate across the country. His supporters have rallied against his arrest, while families of drug war victims and human rights advocates continue to call for justice.

The Davao archbishop acknowledged that Duterte’s arrest “has strained relationships” and “challenges our unity as a people.”

“United as one people, we recognize the pain and frustration felt across the land, including the suffering of those who consider themselves victims of injustice in the past,” Valles said.

“While we affirm the importance of accountability, we also extend our pastoral support and prayers to the former president and his family; he being a son of this local Church, so beloved by a vast number of our faithful,” he added.

Valles, who is also a former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said the pursuit of truth and justice should be free from “partisan political motivations and personal vendettas.”

He urged the government to uphold due process and respect the fundamental principle of the presumption of innocence.

“Only through such commitment to justice can true peace be achieved,” he stressed.

The senior prelate also called on Filipinos to “uphold truth, safeguard human dignity and promote the common good.”