In the slums where killings were most rampant, David and his team established 24 spiritual sanctuaries. Each centres on a makeshift chapel, a beacon of hope in areas defined by despair.

The heat in the sprawling megacity of Metro Manila hits you like a wall the moment you step outside – a thick, humid blanket. It is one of the Philippines’ most immediate and unforgettable sensations. To meet Cardinal Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David I had to pass through this wall and defy the infamous traffic jams to reach his cathedral in Kalookan, the densely populated city in the north of the capital region. What had been scheduled as a 20-minute interview over coffee became an impromptu tour of his diocese and a nearly three-hour conversation.

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