51above Rubén Enaje
cooks dinner with his family.
As a famous figure in the
Philippines’ Holy Week, local
and international media keep
him busy prior to Holy Fridaytop left Hundreds of
parishioners and devotees from
Santo Niño de Tondo await a
blessing with holy water
below 56-year-old Rolando
Ocampo tries on a crown of
thorns that he will wear on
Good Friday when he re-enacts
the crucifixion of Christthey remained until the 19th century,
spreading their Christian message.
Their language didn’t really stick
(although Tagalog retains many
Spanish words), but their religion took
root. Today, the Philippines proudly
declares itself as the only Christian
nation in Asia with more than 86
percent of the population listed as
Roman Catholic.
Despite this extensive infiltration
of Catholicism in the Philippines, San
Pedro Cutud only started recreating
the last days of Christ a century ago;
it wasn’t until 1961 that 13-centimetre
nails were driven into the hands
and feet of agreeing parishioners in
the procession. By 1992, the show
took a turn for the grislier with the
introduction of whips, which have
since remained in the ritual – even
though some bishops and politicians
have attempted to ban such usages in
an effort to tone it down.