20 nailed to crosses in Pampanga, Bulacan
Filipino zealots marked Good Friday with a bloody display of religious frenzy by having themselves nailed to crosses and whipping their backs raw in various areas around the country.
Though frowned upon by the Catholic Church, the gruesome re-enactments of Christ’s final moments draw thousands of believers – and tourists – in a carnival-like atmosphere that is big business for locals.
In the farming village of San Pedro Cutud in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga, residents and
tourists witnessed the crucifixion of at least nine people in a re-enactment of Jesus Christ’s sufferings in a gory annual tradition.
Ruben Enaje, 57, a sign maker, was again the lead “kristo” during the staging of Christ’s crucifixion in Cutud. It was his 32nd time to be crucified in the same area where he first offered prayers for his family and the country after surviving a fall from a building.
In an earlier interview, he said he will continue to pray for peace and unity for the country.
Three more penitents were crucified in two other staging areas – one in Sta. Lucia and two in San Juan, also in the City of San Fernando.
In nearby Bacolor, an elderly woman-penitent, who was among the three devotees crucified Friday morning in the town, reportedly collapsed after the nail was pulled out from her hand. She is now out of danger.
Ching Pangilinan, tourism officer, identified the woman as Elsie Cunanan, who initially joined the procession from Magalang town to San Vicente Church in Bacolor.
Pangilinan said Cunanan has been joining the annual crucifixion, dedicating this to her mom.
Pangilinan said the city government subsidized some of the expenses for the annual activity because it anticipated the influx of tourists in the province during Good Friday.
She reiterated that the city government is not promoting the Lenten rites as a festival but “a show of respect to a local tradition.”
The Church do not promote bloody rituals as part of Holy Week activities and had repeatedly warned penitents of the danger it pose to their health.
Mayor Edwin Santiago of San Fernando, the city where San Pedro Cutud lies, said up to 50,000 local and foreign devotees and tourists were expected to turn up for the crucifixions. More than 400 police officers were deployed and first-aid stations set up to look after the huge crowd.
“We provide assistance because we can’t stop the influx of tourists,” Pangilinan said. “We don’t promote it as a festival but it’s rather a show of respect to a local tradition.”
Villagers have used the crowd-drawing events to peddle food, water, fans, umbrellas and souvenirs and rent out parking slots and toilets. A leading cellphone company provided tents for shade with its name embossed on them
In neighboring Bulacan, five faith healers, including a woman, were nailed to wooden crosses at high noon on Good Friday in Paombong town.
First to be crucified before thousands of people, including local and foreign tourists who braved the scorching mid-day heat in Barangay Kapitangan in Paombong, was Efren L. Balines, 40.
Balines was followed by a young faith healer known only as “Badji” of Barangay Sto. Rosario.
Badji was dragged and whipped by the “Roman Centurions” while carrying a wooden cross toward the crucifixion site.
At about 11:30 a.m., the twin brother of Balines, Loren, was also crucified.
They claimed that they saw the crucifixion site of Jesus Christ in a dream.
At exactly 12 noon, “Ka Precy” was nailed to the cross for the sixth time.
Thirty minutes later, “Ka Roger” of Barangay Sto. Rosario, also of Paombong, was also nailed on the cross.
The five faith healers were nailed to the wooden crosses as the multitudes sang the Tagalog version of The Lord’s Prayer or Ama Namin.
In other towns in Pampanga and Bulacan, bare-chested men, some of whose faces were concealed by hoods, lashed their backs bloody, as selfie-snapping onlookers watched.
They left droplets of blood on cars, houses, and even bottles of soda displayed on snack vendors’ tables that lined the road.
“If one of my family members gets sick, this is what we do,” said Norman Lapuot, 25, as he flogged himself with a bamboo-tipped whip. “I do this for my relatives.”
Lapuot, who said it was his fourth time taking part in the ceremony, added that he believed the ritual bloodletting had helped his grandfather recover from a stroke.
While a majority of the Philippines’ 80 million Catholics spend Good Friday at church or with family, participants undergo the gruesome spectacle to atone for sins or give thanks for divine intervention.
The mock crucifixions on Good Friday have been going on for decades despite official disapproval from the nation’s dominant Catholic Church.
“The church never encourages selfflagellation, much less crucifixion,” Roy Bellen, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Manila, told AFP.
“All sacrifices being asked from Catholics during Lent and Holy Week should lead to actions that benefit the poor and the needy,” he added.
The spectacle reflects a unique brand of Catholicism that merges church traditions with folk superstitions. Many of the mostly impoverished penitents undergo the ritual to atone for sins, pray for the sick or a better life, or give thanks for what they believe were God-given miracles.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas said it’s best for Catholics to mark Lent in prayers and acts of love and charity.
“Instead of spilling your blood on the streets, why not walk into a Red Cross office and donate blood? Choose to share life. Share your blood,” Villegas said in remarks posted in a Catholic Church website.