Residents and devotees of Antipolo’s Nuestra Señora dela Paz y Buenviaje, known as the "Virgin of Antipolo," reenacted anew the 1945 escape of hundreds of residents from the town proper to a secluded hill known as Sitio Colaique in Antipolo City, bringing with them the image of their patroness.

Known as the “Paglikas sa Colaique” (escape to Colaique), the historical and religious event happened in February 1945 when residents brought the Virgin of Antipolo to Sitio Colaique, a secluded hilly area in Barangay San Roque today, to seek refuge as the Allied forces led by the Americans were bombarding the city proper to go after the Japanese forces towards the end of World War 2.

The devotees believed that the Virgin of Antipolo, with its title Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, had performed a miracle that resulted in the safe evacuation of the hundreds of townsfolk 81 years ago.

Despite the intermittent rain, hundreds of residents, together with the priests led by Antipolo Bishop Ruperto C. Santos, joined the 5 a.m. procession on Feb. 14, from the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage to Sitio Colaique.

During the activity, some procession participants said another miracle happened while the procession was making its way to Sitio Colaique, where a Holy Mass was to be held, saying the rain had stopped and a rainbow appeared in the sky.

It was only during the middle of the Holy Mass, and the participants had already settled under a makeshift canopy, that the rain started to pour down.

Historian narration had it that the American bombardment of Antipolo City in February 1945, which was aimed at liberating the area from Japanese Imperial control, resulted in the near-total destruction of the town proper and the historic Antipolo Church.

Following the intense bombardment of US planes towards the city, including the shrine, which occurred around February 17, 1945, the city was left in ruins, forcing residents to evacuate and prompting a massive, years-long reconstruction effort.

From Colaique, other residents moved to Angono, Pasig, and Marikina until the Virgin of Antipolo was brought to Quiapo Church to be its temporary shelter until October 15, when it was brought back to the Antipolo shrine following the reconstruction of the church.

The Antipolo Cathedral said the annual religious and historical event is a reminder of the affinity of the people of Antipolo to the Virgin Mary and a living testament to the resilience and faith that continue to bind us together to this day.