Karl Mabagos, 29, from Barangay Landayan, is the owner of an image of Santa Maria Ina ni Juan, one of Christ’s followers. “Now that I'm older, it's one way to be thankful for the blessings my family receives, and it's also a way to bring my relatives and neighbors close to the Lord,” he said.\
Mark Anaya, 35, also from Barangay Landayan, is the owner of the Santa Marta de Betania, which he acquired in 2014. Anaya explained that he had chosen Santa Marta because his family serves the church, just like Santa Marta did when Jesus visited her home in Betania. He later acquired images of Santa Maria and San Lazaro to complete the siblings of Betania, which he paraded in 2019, “to introduce them as followers of Jesus.”
Isabelita Samaniego, 71, from Biñan City, is the third generation of the Bayani family who takes care of the decades-old Virgen Dolorosa's image in the church. Samaniego said the Virgen Dolorosa image had helped them with their needs, and protected them from calamities. Her grandmother Simeona Bayani and her siblings donated Virgen Dolorosa's image to the church more than 50 years ago. The responsibility of taking care of the image for the procession was passed to her mother Cristina Morales, and later to her.
The Good Friday procession: Owners of religious images and their devotion to tradition
At a glance
The streets of three barangays in San Pedro City, Laguna, will look like the old days of Holy Week when the “Prusisyon ng Paglilibing” will display 16 life-size holy images in the traditional procession of Good Friday, April 7.
In the Philippines, churches hold the “Prusisyon ng Paglilibing” tradition every Good Friday with floats of religious images portraying the life of Jesus Christ.
GOOD FRIDAY PROCESSION – The ‘Prusisyon ng Paglilibing’ of the Diocesan Shrine of Jesus in the Holy Sepulchre goes around three barangays in San Pedro, Laguna. (Photo from Sto. Sepulcro Parish Social Communications Ministry)
In Barangay Landayan, San Pedro City, the procession ritual is under the Diocesan Shrine of Jesus in the Holy Sepulchre, which was elevated to a shrine in 2006 from Sto. Sepulcro Parish. The procession will start at 5 p.m., winding through the streets of the barangays for about two to three hours, Jaypee Salaysay from the church’s Social Communications Ministry, said.
The decorated carrozas (floats) with brightly lit images will go around barangays Landayan, San Roque, and Cuyab – all near the Laguna de Bay. Devotees walk barefoot, wear black clothing, bring candles, and pray Santo Rosario.
One of the floats will display a life-size image of the dead Christ which locals affectionately refer to as “Lolo Uweng.” It is a dark-skinned figure which looks like the Black Nazarene of Quiapo in Manila. Locals refer to the image as “Lolo Uweng” because it looks like an elderly figure, and they gave him the nickname of “Uweng” for Emmanuel, Salaysay explained.
‘LOLO UWENG’ – One of the religious images is that of the dead Christ which has been called ‘Lolo Uweng,’ a nickname for Emmanuel. (Photo from Sto. Sepulcro Parish Social Communications Ministry)
Salaysay said the name that identifies the image is “Emmanuel Salvador del Mundo (The savior of the world).”
The procession will also feature images of saints who played important roles in the Passion of Christ, which include San Pedro Apostol, Santa Maria Magdalena, Santa Maria Cleofe, San Juan Evangelista, San Jose ng Arimatea, San Longinos, San Nicodemo.
The floats and statues are owned by the church and private individuals. Statues owned by private individuals are kept in their homes.
Karl Mabagos, 29, from Barangay Landayan, is the owner of an image of Santa Maria Ina ni Juan Marcos, one of Christ’s followers, according to the list of floats. Santa Maria Ina is said to be the owner of the place of the Last Supper. Mabagos acquired the image in 2017.
SANTA MARIA INA NI JUAN MARCOS – Karl Mabagos owns the image of Santa Maria Ina ni Juan Marcos, who is said to be the owner of the place of the Last Supper. (Photo courtesy of Karl Mabagos)
Mabagos said he grew up participating in the procession so he had always wanted to own a sacred image. “Now that I'm older, it's one way to be thankful for the blessings my family receives, and it's also a way to bring my relatives and neighbors close to the Lord,” he said in Filipino in an interview with the Manila Bulletin.
He said that one of his unforgettable memories now is that of the first time the image joined the procession because his family was complete on that day. “My parents are separated, so I almost cried because of the rare occasion I saw them together,” Mabagos said in Filipino.
Another owner of a religious image, Mark Anaya, 35, also from Barangay Landayan, said that owning an image and taking care of it is a way to show his devotion to “Lolo Uweng.” He is the owner of the Santa Marta de Betania, which he acquired in 2014.
Anaya explained that he had chosen Santa Marta because his family serves the church, just as Santa Marta served Jesus when He visited her home in Betania.
LOS HERMANOS DE BETANIA – Images of siblings Santa Marta, Santa Maria, and San Lazaro de Betania owned by Mark Anaya. It was in 2019 when the images of the siblings became part of the ‘Prusisyon of Paglilibing’. (Photo courtesy of Mark Anaya)
He later acquired images of Santa Maria and San Lazaro to complete the siblings of Betania, which he paraded in 2019, “to introduce them as followers of Jesus,” he said.
Isabelita Samaniego, 71, from Biñan City, is the third generation of the Bayani family who takes care of the decades-old Virgen Dolorosa's image in the church. Virgen Dolorosa depicts Mary mourning the death of her son Jesus. According to Samaniego, the Virgen Dolorosa image had performed miracles to them, helped them with their needs, and protected them from calamities.
VIRGEN DOLOROSA – Isabelita Samaniego and family prepare the image of Virgen Dolorosa and the carroza for the Good Friday procession. (Photo from Sto. Sepulcro Parish Social Communications Ministry)
Her family is assigned to dress up the Virgen Dolorosa image and fix her carroza for the procession. She said her grandmother Simeona Bayani, and her siblings donated Virgen Dolorosa's image to the church more than 50 years ago. The responsibility of taking care of the image for the procession was passed on to her mother Cristina Morales, and later to her.
Thus, Holy Week traditions, like the Good Friday processions, will continue to the next generations because of people’s devotion to keeping the faith alive through the religious images.
