For some years now, elderly Catholics have voiced their concerns about what they perceive as the decline of the rites and rituals that had been associated with the celebration of Holy Week in the Philippines.
The rise of social media and modern technology, as well the recent Covid-19 pandemic that has temporarily shut down physical activities, have had devout Catholics worried that the solemnity that has marked past Lenten seasons in the Philippines will no longer be relevant especially among the youth.
This year, however, it appears that that faith that has sustained Filipinos throughout centuries has once again proved to be their strongest bulwark in their everyday struggles against poverty and an increasingly polarized social and political landscape.
Crowds of devotees
This Lenten season, all roads once again (literally) led to Barangay Landayan in San Pedro City, Laguna, as devotees of Lolo Uweng gathered to pay their respects to the sacred image of the “Dead Christ,” venerated by many Catholics for its miraculous properties.
Thousands of devotees jammed the road leading to the Diocesan Shrine of Jesus in the Holy Sepulchre in Barangay Landayan during the “Alay Lakad” ritual on Maundy Thursday, April 17.
This, despite the sweltering heat that Lagunenses have experienced during the past few days – in Los Baños, for instance, heat index levels rose to a record-high 50 degrees Celsius on Holy Tuesday, April 15, prompting the local government to suspend face-to-face classes on Holy Wednesday.
While authorities have yet to release official statistics as of press time, the number of devotees who participated in the Holy Week activities at the Lolo Uweng Shrine are expected to reach – or even surpass – the 100,000 devotees that had been recorded in the years before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lent with Nature
Some devout Catholics, on the other hand, found the solitude and beauty of Mount Makiling in Los Baños a perfect place to reconnect their souls with God.
For some years now, the Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystem (MCME) has been conducting guided tours of Mount Makiling to hikers and tourists through its annual Lenten Season Visitors Management Program called "Make It Makiling."
The program aims to increase visitors’ awareness and appreciation of the value of mountain ecosystems and biodiversity; showcase, promote ecotourism practical concepts and principles; enhance visitor safety, enjoyment, and experience within the Mount Makiling Forest Reserve ASEAN Heritage Park.
Hikers endured the eight- to nine-hour round-trip hike between Station 1 and Peak II, where they could offer prayers and meditate on the lush mountain landscape.
Aside from providing hikers with a safe and quiet space where they could meditate, reflect and renew their relationship with God, the program also offered them a chance to appreciate Nature's bounty through the plants and flowers that are endemic in Mount Makiling.
Shadow of elections
Even as the shadow of the May 12 midterm elections still linger over this year’s commemoration of the Lenten season, it has been noted that candidates, for the most part, have strictly abided by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) guidelines prohibiting all kinds of campaigning during Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
A political analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity to OpinYon Laguna speculated that this may have been due to the recent moves of the commission to discipline candidates who have earned criticism on social media following “inappropriate” statements.
“Candidates could’ve seen that this election, the Comelec meant business when it clamped down on the inappropriate, even insulting, statements made by other candidates during the campaign period,” the analyst explained.
“Compared with the past, when candidates would’ve been seen all over the place during Holy Week – for instance, former Vice President Jejomar Binay’s appearance at the Lolo Uweng Shrine in 2016 – it’s a good sign that they’re now also trying to lie low during this most sacred time of the year for Filipino Catholics.”
The explosion of faith as seen in this year’s commemoration of Holy Week should also be seen in the lens of the Philippines’ socio-political situation, the analyst added.
Faith, after all, in a Christ who was crucified, died and was resurrected on the third day has given hope for Filipinos who are still weighted down by the triple crosses of poverty, corruption, and oppression.
“Of course, the bigger question should be: how do our faith in Jesus Christ, our belief in his teachings and morality, actually translate to concrete action – particularly, on the choice of our leaders this coming May 12 polls?” was how the analyst put it.
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