TO THE CROSSES: TRADITIONS BUILT ON MISINTERPRETATION

honor the chieftain’s roots as a leader of the indigenous Aeta tribe, not much has been done to assure and protect the social welfare of the modern Aeta resettlement in the city, with woes for sustainable housing development from the 300 Sitio Kapuso families hounded the city government, especially during the onslaught of Typhoon Karding last month. In fact, the three weeks of what could have been the period of coordination among the local government units in Mabalacat City turned into a hilarious blaming game among officials and a delay in relief services for our Aeta-Kabalen.

The town of Minalin’s Aguman Sanduk Festival meanwhile became an overnight discussion as it was likened to the cross-dressing incident as part of the pep rally performance of the De La Salle University men’s basketball team, speculating traces of mockery against the members of the LGBTQ+ community. Although the 1931 tradition was nowhere to be likened to the context of the latest incident and was purely established to give thanks to the womenfolk of the barrio after their tireless work in what was coined as the loneliest Yuletide season in the town’s history, such a celebration can still be a victim of misinterpretation, with versions coming outside of Minalin not fully understanding the reason why they dress as their opposite genders, or even making fun of it because they seemingly think that they look ridiculous by wearing one.

Lastly, the flagellation and crucifixion of the penitents specifically in the province’s capital, the City of San Fernando during the Lenten season’s Good Friday present more personal and spiritual issues that need to be addressed. Even religious authorities have raised their brows towards this yearly practice, as such an extreme and often barbaric way of devotion to Christ has a safer and acceptable alternative: confession and good works. Unfortunately, from an empirical perspective, the level of devotion these magdarame and namamanata do does not translate into a renewed soul. I would see these kinds of people behaving the same way they did even before the tradition starts. It is almost as if they are mocking Christ even further by reenacting His suffering and not likening even a part of His goodness after.

From the agony that I experienced by standing for hours under that scorching summer sun, I only realized years after the reason why people are frowning upon the forthcoming line of bloody marchers, why their eyes are odiously fixated in the hapless state of the penitents, and why the flock of people seems to not care about anything after the brief frenzy: it is because the traditions that we grew up with satisfy only our worldly eyes, not anymore our uninspired hearts.