219. EL STO. ENTIERRO DE GUAGUA

EL STO. ENTIERRO DE GUAGUA. Considered as one ofthe most beautiful and most opulent in the country, the Sto. Entierro of the Velez-Ynfante Family is shown here during the Good Friday procession in 20__, Phot courtesy of Dr. Raymund Feliciano.

 The Santo Entierro of Guagua has been the soul of the Velez family over the last 250 years. It takes a week to prepare, polish, assemble, clean and light up this elaborate silver carroza for the Good Friday procession. 150 volunteers are chosen each year from the Barangay Santa Filomena, Guagua to serve the Senor Milagroso.

The Santo Entierro in its magnificent calandra, in 1949. Picture source: Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture, Vol. X, No. 2, 2006. "Guagua to Quiapo", by Ramon Ma. Zaragoza. p. 22 

Sampaguita garlands are the only floral decorations allowed. When lighted candles proved to be unsafe for the crowds during the procession, electric lights were installed in the virinas of the carroza, requiring power from 11 heavy duty truck batteries. In addition, thirty violinists volunteer their services. The image of Jesus in repose is reputed to be the most beautiful of its kind in the country.

215, Santo Stories: STO. CRISTO OF PAKIL

 SANTO CRISTO DE PAKIL. The ancient image of the Crucified Christ in the church of Pakil, as it appeared in the 1950s.

 In the Franciscan-founded town of Pakil, Laguna, one can find an ancient, life-size crucifix venerated at the altar near the church’s entrance. The present church itself, dedicated to San Pedro de Alcantara, dates to 1732, a masterpiece in stone marked with florid ornamentation.

 The Santo Cristo de Pakil is an object of deep veneration among residents, but is also popular among the devotees of the Virgen de Turumba. The legs and feet of the Santo Cristo have all but darkened with age, and the habit of kissing the feet and the anointing of the santo’s extremities with perfume has persisted.

 The origins of the crucified Christ in Pakil is shrouded in mystery. It was said that an old man sought refuge in the town, begging the cura to find sanctuary in the church. The kind priest allowed him in, and the old man requested that he be given some carpentry tools so he could do some work for the church, in return for the hospitality.

 When the old man did not emerge from the room after some time, the door was forced open—and the priest found him gone. But inside the room was a splendidly carved image of Christ crucified, wonderfully wrought in wood and capturing the agony of the Lord in his passion.

 The image – known as Santo Cristo de Pakil—was enshrined in a retablo menor and is used every Holy Week for the Good Friday rites. As the arms are articulated, the figure of the Christ can be brought down from His Cross to be transformed into a Santo Entierro.

 In this form, the image is processioned on the streets of Pakil, followed by a band of violinists, musicians, singers and hundreds of devotees.

107. 'SANTONG BANGKAY' IGNITES RELIGIOUS FERVOR

by Yolanda Sotelo
(originally published on the Philippine Daily Inquirer, 3 April 2012)

BANI, Pangasinan—In a cramped room inside a shack at the back of the Catholic church in Bani, Pangasinan, lies a religious treasure for the town—a life-size ivory statue of “Santo Bangkay” (Dead Jesus Christ). The Santo Bangkay is a detailed rendition of Jesus Christ when he was taken down from the cross, complete with blood oozing from his face down to his chest, with holes in the hands and feet where the nails were driven, and wounds in his knees.


“It has been with our parents when they got married in 1932,” Norma Optinario, 76, says. Norma and her sister, Herlyn, 64, are the keepers of the statue.

The sisters say the statue was given to their father by the family of a military official. They do not know from what country the icon came from, or how old it is, only saying it has been with their family for a very long time.

The Optinarios’ house was burned in 1942, but the fire stopped before it reached the area where the icon was being kept, they say.

Religious procession

Days before Good Friday, the sisters’ house comes alive with preparations of the Santo Bangkay for the religious procession along the streets of this agricultural town. Already, a white garment adored with sequins and silver thread is waiting to clothe the statue.

“Every year, we prepare a new garment for what they lovingly call Apo Santo Bangkay. This year, it will be outfitted with white, but mostly, it is garbed in maroon. We also decorate the ‘karo’ (coach where the icon is laid),” Norma says. The icon’s long, curly hair, is changed every five years.

In another part of the town, at the front yard of a house destroyed by a typhoon, a steel carriage is set to be painted and adorned with different flowers for the Good Friday procession. This replaced an old wooden carriage in 1981, Dennis Orilla, 44, says. Orilla inherited the carriage, along with the responsibility to prepare it for the procession, from his parents.

Every Maundy Thursday, the houses of the Optinario and Orilla families are full with family members and friends to prepare the Santo Bangkay, the coach and the carriage. All expenses are contributed by relatives and residents.

“It is an affair where our families and residents join hands in staging. Church and local officials are not meddling with this religious activity,” Herlyn says.

At noon on Good Friday, the carriage, with the Santo Bangkay on top, is pulled around the streets of Barangay Poblacion.


“The religious fervor is similar to that shown in the procession of Quiapo’s Black Nazarene, although in the case of Bani, only residents join the activity,” says Marietchu Natividad, head of Poblacion village.


“The devotees would try to go up the carriage or hold on to the rope that pulls it,” Orilla says.

At 3 p.m., the Santo Bangkay is taken to the Catholic Church for a Mass. It is left near the altar for a vigil and “agep,” a customary kissing of the icon by devotees, until midnight.

103.BURIED TREASURES, Along a Boulevard of Broken Dreams

I've been told by a lot of collector-friends that Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City has a lot of junk shops and second-hand stores that hold hidden treasures of every sort--religious artifacts included. I am familiar with the the place as my first job was in an office located along this road lined with interesting shops, sights and buildings—like Arcega’s—where one could shop for the finest bicycles, and of course, the Magnolia Ice Cream Plant that housed the famous dairy bar. Further down was Broadway Centrum, then a spanking new commercial complex.

That was way back in the late 1980s, and I have not explored that side of the boulevard since. Well, this Sunday, I decided to set off for a return adventure to the famed boulevard after over 2 decades just to check those junkyards my tipsters have been raving about.

In fact, Aurora had become unrecognizable—so narrow, dirty and looking unsafe—and here I am walking the stretch of the boulevard under the hot early afternoon sun. The intersecting streets still rang with familiarity—there’s Seattle, Boston, Manga—but Betty Go-Belmonte St.? Now, where are the junk shops?

At the far end of Monte de Piedad St., I saw heaps of organized trash and stuff strewn on the sidewalk. The front of his house was littered with old 1960s magazines and newspapers, bric-a-brac and paintings, paper documents, jugs and glasses, softdrink bottles, soda cases, old toys, 1970s calendar, ceramics, and every conceivable house junk known to Man. I knew I had arrived at the right place.

My heart always palpitates when I see never-before seen junkyards such as this, my kind of hunting grounds for antiques and collectibles. I was greeted by a hulking young man, who lifted the tarpaulin awning shielding the front of his house, further revealing more flotsam and jetsam. “Ah, we expected you”, he said, and “we were told of your collecting interests by dealers in Kamuning, so we've prepared some items that may be of interest to you.."

I was not prepared for the item he showed, which was to become my most wanted object of desire. It’s inconceivable that this treasure could even be found here.

In fact, I had even ignored this thing on the floor, casually placed inside a red shopping bag, lost amidst the trash and thrift shop stuff in the small, cramped apartment. "This here is an ivory Christ...", he said, "but the case is a bit dilapidated..."

Ivory? Sto. Entierro? He must be kidding. I peeked into the shopping bag and sure enough, inside was a small calandra (display casket) with wooden and glass parts that have started to separate--- it had to be secured with strings to keep it together.

Then lo and behold! Inside was the wooden body of a dead Christ—with an ivory head. I was stunned. Ivory Santo Entierros are so hard to find in the market, that I have only seen one for sale, which I eventually got, never mind if the Christ was made of terra cotta. The rest are in private collections.

Now this Sto. Entierro is of ivory—the head that is. Closer inspection revealed that the head is of solid ivory, with beautifully carved features.

The only drawback was the nose—it had been sliced off neatly. It’s intriguing to think that the ivory part was used as an anting-anting (amulet) by a Katipunero (Philippine revolutionist) or that it was cut by an insurgent to disrespect his aquiline-nosed colonizers.

But the wooden body was in good condition, the fingers complete, with just a few toe tips missing. Its wig had disintegrated many years ago, but even the skullcap was there. A few trips to my santero will easily resurrect the Dead Christ and restore it to its former glory.

Putting my great negotiation skills to work, I arm-twisted him into selling the photos, the folk santos and the ivory Sto. Entierro for one, neat package cost that I offered. He agreed—and he even threw one small crown for a santo as my buena mano bonus.

This Sto. Entierro, certainly, is my find of the year. Who would think that I will find this treasure buried in a junkyard, along a boulevard of broken dreams and damaged goods from old homes? And, did I tell you that he even led me to another giant stockroom across the street that was crammed with the same stuff from wall to floor. I am sure there are other spectacular antique finds there, but I’ll leave that for another day.

Meanwhile, if you happen to be walking along Aurora Boulevard—don’t forget to keep your eye on those heaps of junk littering the nooks and crevices of Monte de Piedad St. On that same street, lightning may strike twice, and, underneath the debris and detritus, you’ll be able to dig up your own find of the year!

97.A CRISTO, A CALANDRA, AND A RE-CONSTRUCTION STORY

About 6 years ago, I attended a special auction of the Bayanihan Collectors at the Loft, in Rockwell, only because it was walking distance from my place. It was late in the afternoon and the auction was about to end.

I quickly scanned the bourse tables and found this rare mini-calandra with a terra-cotta Christ. It was a bit-run down, but I saw it had promise—the carvings on the base were very detailed, and most of the calandra parts were intact, including the etched glass panels and the relief carvings on the trapezoidal cover.

The 8 inch Christ itself is very unusual because it is made from terra cotta and wood. The catafalque on which it rested even had its original satin cover. The base has a drapery pattern and is trimmed with floral carvings, now incomplete.

The dealer wasn’t even there when I inquired about the piece; I had to talk to him on the phone. When he told me of the price of the calandra, I thought it was reasonable enough, but I wasn’t into these things back then.

I let it go but I kept the business card of dealer Albert Dealino and promised to visit his place. Flash forward, early 2007. While I was cleaning my files, I found Abet’s card and this time, I checked if his contact number was still valid—it was! I had to reintroduce myself to him and then asked if I could visit his Fairview warehouse.

He agreed and so we set up a meeting on one rainy Sunday afternoon. It was a long drive to north Fairview but I found his home-cum-warehouse which was crammed with old things of all sort. It was then that I asked him about the calandra that I saw years ago in Rockwell. Surprisingly, he told me it went unsold and was still available. After a few minutes, he took it out and I was reacquainted once more with the object of desire that I thought had gotten away.

To make the story short, I got the piece at a discount and carted it home with the intention of having it restored to its former glory. Instinctively, I thought of assigning the work to Mr. Tom Joven, the accomplished ecclesiastical artist from Bacolor, whose background in furniture, I thought, would be valuable in a project that requires carpentry, carving and expert finishing.

Sure enough, when I brought the piece to him, his sharp eye noticed something amiss with the mini-calandra and its base. Later, he called me to say he believed that the calandra used to have a separate base—to which it was attached, at some point in time. He asked my approval if he could separate the calandra from its base; a new base will be made for it while the separated carved base can serve as a display stand for it or for some other santo or urna. A few months after, the calandra looked like this with its new, simplified base.

A few more weeks would elapsed before the calandra could be finished and primed for painting. Note the added floral trims, the handsome Grecian columns on the four corners and the arches to frame the four glass paneled sides of the calandra.

When Tom removed the catafalque that had been ‘upholstered’ with red satin, he found out that the sides were trimmed with fine gold embroidery in repeating trefoil pattern that have tarnished with age.

Work on the base proved to be faster. The floral carvings around the perimeter of the base were completed and then painted and gilded.

Finally, just this weekend, after a year of intense restoration, my mini-calandra project was finally finished. It was painted in black and with faux kamagong streaks. The floral trims, the columns, the serrated edgings and the relief carvings were all gold-leafed.

All it needs is a small agnus dei (Lamb of God) figure to sit on top of the calandra. Unfortunately, the old bubble glass panels were too fragile to be reused; new glass had to be ordered. 

Even then, with or without the base, the completed mini-calandra looked exceptionally beautiful.

As to the terra cotta Cristo, a nephew of mine who has a special interest in European ecclesiastical art noticed its similarity to the Cristo Yacente of the Hermandad del Sto. Entierro in Spain.

He also told me that what I have is certainly of European origin as terra cotta figures are made all over Europe like in Italy and Spain. I had thought of housing a smaller ivory Sto. Entierro for this calandra, but because of these inputs, I have decided to retain this original Cristo.

I am in the process of restoring it myself (I don’t know of any who does clay restoration!), but I have decently managed to put the broken parts together using tacky glue, filling the spaces with epoxy clay which I discovered recently. 

I have also succeeded in cleaning it using good, old dependable Wipe-Out. Its dirty brown complexion has given way to a pinkish hue, a dramatic change. It still remains to be seen if I have a future as a santo-restorer.

The hardest part of the restoration is over--a mourning shroud, a pillow and perhaps a small crown of thorns and potencias are all that the calandra needs as finishing touches. 

Jesus’s resurrection took awhile to happen---over a year for the restoration alone and a total of 6 years to bring home a treasure that I now consider one of my most valuable finds.

87. MY ANNUAL HOLY WEEK SOJOURN

By Oscar A. Macanan Jr. 2bU! Correspondent
(This article was originally published on PDI)

It’s true that most of us look forward to Holy Week spent under the sun in a beach resort somewhere. But if I were given the option on how and where to spend my vacation, it would be always to recharge my spirituality by attending a traditional Filipino prusisyon, and, of course, to spend it with my family.

Unlike your regular urbanite who’s out for a good time on a religious weekend, this party person heads out to his mom’s hometown of Calumpit, located just a few kilometers from Bulacan’s capital of Malolos. Each visit to this quiet, rural town by the river brings out memories of pure nostalgia. In short, nothing but good memories that have left me with a happy and contented childhood to remember: delicious foods like garlic-laden pork longganisa; loud and spirited family get-togethers at my lola’s house; and of course, the traditional Good Friday procession that has been part of the town’s proud history.


The prusisyon is an annual event that brings together several karosa that display scenes from the Passion and Death of Christ. While majority of the townsfolk are reduced to mere observers during the event itself, our family has played the active role of preparing a karosa that will take part in the procession.

The tie that binds.
The whole can usually spends a good part of the weekend preparing for Prusisyon. The “Poon”, an antique statue showing Christ after He had been taken down from the Cross and prepared for burial, is removed from its wooden shrine. This priceless heirloom has been with my mom’s family for generations. An equally antique, glass-paned wooden shrine has served as the statue’s keeping place and the carriage’s main body.

It’s one of the few occasions that my lola’s home would come alive with so much activity. Every year, my cousins take out and sort the artificial flowers to be used for decorations. After a year of spending time stored in boxes, the flowers are cleaned and inspected for defects, then hanged in wires placed in the middle of the house’s great living area.

I would always help my dad placing the lamps that would light the carriage carrying the Poon. I would check out the electrical wiring that runs along the shrine’s crevices. After making sure everything is in order, my cousins and my tito would usually help place the other lights.

The family affair doesn’t end in the busy living room, though. The kitchen plays witness to the family’s chef extraordinaire (mom and all my titas), whipping up huge batches of homecooked cuisine that would put my self-respecting restaurant to shame.

I would always indulge myself in hefty servings of rellenong bangus, lapu-lapu and pancit that are on the table. If I’m lucky enough though, maybe my cousins have left me some puto, kutsinta or sapin-sapin. I would wash them down with fresh fruit juice for dessert. Sometimes, I would find out that there’s still room for a cup or two of refreshing halo-halo.

The Friday rush.
Spending overnight out of the city seems to nudge everyone to be up and awake for anther busy Good Friday. A hearty breakfast courtesy of the family’s culinary masters perks everyone up for the big day ahead. It’s about 6 a.m. right now, and everyone has until noon to finish the carriage in time for the afternoon procession.

Good Friday morning here starts like this every year. Every able-bodied male in the family and the surrounding neighborhood would come and help lift the carriage’s body in the living room, carefully moving it through the second-floor window, and then carry the thing on top of the carriage’s under belly which houses the wheels. Everyone, including some friends and neighbors, get into this proud moment of the classic bayanihan spirit we Filipinos are well known for.

From that moment on , the seemingly frantic activity of fixing up the karosa spills out from the living room and into the streets.

Most of the work involves cutting up bamboo into thin sticks. This would later be nailed and formed into the undercarriage to form a frame holding the multi-layered mantle that serves as its cover.

Most of my titos would use nails and industrial staples to arrange the flowers along the carriage’s narra body. The theme behind the decoration was formed the night before, after much brainstorming among the elders of the family. Plastic strings secure the bamboo.

After the elaborate flora has been placed around the carriage, metal wires would be used to hold the electrical tubing gripping the outer lamps. The lighting itself has been designed to be both decorative and practical: the bulbs are covered by black velvet shades that symbolize the tragedy that was Christ’s death. The golden lining that serves as the lampshade’s lone design, on the other hand, tells of Christ’s victory over death on Easter Sunday. Snack would be bought down at regular intervals for the hungry laborers. After all, it takes hundreds of flowers, more than a dozen technical lightings, and hearts of gold to make this year’s karo special.

A full moon night.
Later in the afternoon, the local townsfolk would head to Calumpit’s lone parish church. They would attend the 3 p.m. Mass. About that time, too, everyone will dress up for the procession.

At this time, every carriage that’s going to join the procession would be ready. Like our family ‘s karosa, they would be adorned with fresh flowers and lamps lighted by gasoline-fed electric generators.

The church bells are rung to signal the end of the Mass. That’s when 12 of the town’s men, symbolizing the Apostles, are given the task of pulling the carriage that contains Christ’s body. The procession itself would start from the parish grounds, with carriages from other household leaving at regular intervals.

Every carriage has its own act to follow, a piece of the story depicting Christ’s suffering and death. Familiar scenes like Jesus carrying the Cross on His way to Calvary, one of the wailing women of Jerusalem holding up the cloth bearing the image of the suffering Christ, and the Crucifixion animate the darkness of night.

The procession itself goes on without a hitch. Everybody in this town has come out wearing his or her Sunday best to join the procession. Those who have chosen to stay in their homes the whole town isn’t left out either. Houses that line the procession’s path are dotted with people holding up lighted candles. Laity unite with the religious in reciting the rosary. Men, women and children cling to each carriage’s side to help it move along.

Imposing sight
In streets where electrical lighting is impossible, the faithful on both sides of the path provide observers a wave of flowing, living fire with their candles—an imposing sight with the numerous balete trees in the background. And did I mention a full moon that’s made even brighter by the absence of glaring city lights?

Sad to say, the serenity of the whole thing breaks up just as when the procession nears the church again. Toward the end, a mob has started to form around the carriages containing the fresh flowers. People would push to gain position to reach and grab the flowers that adorn the carriages.

We would try to protect the carriage from the wave of humanity that tries to push the karo. Under a temporary blanket of protection given by local police acting as security, I would help my cousins remove lamps and light bulbs that may be damaged during the foray.

People hold on to the flowers as a souvenir of the procession. Local folks say the flowers hold healing powers and protect the owners from harm, like some kind of an amulet.

With the crowd thinning, everyone in the family helps carry the Poon to the church’s altar. It’s inside the church that Christ would spend the night. In here, devotees from near and far would come and pay their respects, if not relive sacred history.

E-mail to boynextdoor@gwapo.com

73. Santo Stories: ANG MAHAL NA SEÑOR NG PAETE

(Excerpted from the article , Ang Mahal na Señor, English translation “Mire of Heaven” by Elmer Beltran Ingles. Original Filipino text by Manuel Baldemor. The Paete Phenomenon, p. 43-44, by San Santiago Apostol, Foundation of Paete, 1991)


According to town historians, the Catholic image of the dead Christ is the oldest, most miraculous and the most important of all images. It is said to have come from Mexico and the oldest-known saint in the stone church of Paete.


Before Lent, it is blessed with incense and daily and nightly prayers are offered. It is bathed with wine and the liquid is kept in small bottles to be distributed to devotees. The used wine becomes sacred and is believed to be a good cure for any ailment.

The Jesus Christ figure also receives the biggest amount of donation from devotees from all over the land. Donations are in the form of blankets, silk clothing and pillows. Excess donations are given to the church to be used as altar mantles or clothes for sacristans. The clothes and pillows are often borrowed for use of sick persons or those afflicted with grave ailments.


While the vigil for the dead Christ is in progress in te house of the recamadero (the keeper of the image), Catholics and even Aglipay take turns in kissing the hands and feet of the image. Men with devotion or personal pledges go on shifts in carrying the image in the procession. The feel the weight on their shoulders if their sins against God and their fellowmen are grave. It is said to be lighter when volunteers do it in gratitude for past blessings. Newly circumcised boys serve as support group with the wooden poles which they used to steady the float during the procession. After the Good Friday rites, everyone is invited to the house of the recamadero for a yummy bowl of sotanghon ( a variety of noodle) and hot biringhi dipped in refined sugar.