Philippines, Palm Sunday Mass outside a Catholic church in Manila, April 14, 2019. Photo Credit: Eloisa Lopez/Reuters via CNS. 
Philippine authorities are trying to win the hearts and minds of people amid allegations that police officers have been behind many of the thousands of drug-related killings that have stained the country’s image in recent years, ucanews.com reported. At a police camp in the central Philippines, police hosted a traditional ‘Flores de Mayo, (‘Flowers of May’) celebration in honour of Mary.
Regional police spokeswoman Police Lt. Col. Bella Rentuaya said law enforcement officers were doing their best to teach children how to become “God-loving, responsible human beings and disciplined citizens”.
“Aside from teaching them how to pray, we also provide lessons on rights awareness and health issues,” she said.
Florlyn Gapul, a police officer who worked with the children, admitted that since the government launched its anti-narcotics war in 2016, there has been an “apparent gap” on how the public look at law enforcement authorities. “We are doing (Flores de Mayo) to bridge the gap,” she said.
