13 ‘Kristos’ to be crucified on Good Friday
SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – Thirteen emulators of Jesus Christ are to be crucified on Good Friday at three sites in this city, famous for its true-to-life crucifixions.
Tourism officer Ching Pangilinan said nine of the Kristos or Christs are to be crucified in Barangay San Pedro Cutud and the rest in Sta. Lucia and San Juan. The crucifixions are, as usual, the highlights of the reenactment of Jesus’ final hours
on earth.
Pangilinan said she expected the city to host some 50,000 visitors for the Good Friday crucifixions.
She noted that in San Pedro Cutud, commercial painter Ruben Enaje, 54, would again portray the role of the main Kristo, a role he would assume for the 32nd year. Enaje first had himself crucified as thanksgiving to God, whom he credited for saving his life from a fall while he was painting a tall building.
The first crucifixions would be in San Juan at 6 a.m., followed by Sta. Lucia at 9 a.m. and San Pedro Cutud at 10 a.m.
Pangilinan said all those to be crucified this year are men who had been crucified before.
“There are no newcomers,” she noted.
For his part, Boy Santiago, this year’s chairman of the city’s Maleldo or Holy Week committee, said the local government unit would not be an active participant in the crucifixion rites and left to the host barangays the direct supervision over these events.
“The city government’s direct role is limited to peace and order and health,” he said.
Noting several cases of pickpocketing and other crimes during past crucifixions, Santiago appealed to pilgrims and other visitors to refrain from wearing jewelry and from bringing significant amounts of cash and other important items when joining the Good Friday crowd.
He added that drones are also prohibited in the crowded crucifixion sites, as any possible crash could harm people.
Meanwhile, activities related to the observance of the Holy Week are prohibited inside the six-kilometer radius permanent danger zone around Mount Mayon, as the volcano remains under Alert Level 3, the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (Apsemo) said yesterday.
“We need to implement the no human activity policy inside the permanent danger zone in order to avoid untoward incidents or accidents,” Cedric Daep, Apsemo chief, told The STAR.
Most popular among these events is following the Stations of the Cross, where devout Catholics walk barefoot and offer prayers at the stations depicting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in a village within the danger zone around Mayon.
“If you look at the latest Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology bulletin, detected tremors are still very high due to rock falls. Lava is also still rolling down the volcano,” Daep said.