 |
| A splendidly painted backdrop by the samahang Alpha Spirits. |
Before being dubbed "Williamsburgos", Poblacion was often referred to as "Old Makati" (the way we refer to Escolta and etc. as "Old Manila"), with its centuries-old church, wet market, and old homes. I was delighted to find out, rather belatedly, that Semana Santa or Holy Week in Poblacion is a super big deal not just for its residents but for devotees from all over the metropolis, who make their way here each year to view and participate in the procession and
pabasa. I am fascinated by it all, but am actually late to the game of appreciating religious celebrations, so I hope you forgive me if I have inaccuracies or incomplete information.
Each neighborhood is loosely organized into a
samahan (association) that builds and manages a
kubol (literally, a kind of temporary shelter or booth) each with its own unique religious statue (or two). The
kubol is actually a tableau that is to be part of the
kalbaryo, a procession narrating Jesus' journey of suffering up until his crucifixion and burial. You will find constructed scenery of differing quality, sometimes just a single printed tarp as background, other times, an elaborate,
perya-horror-house levels.
 |
Everybody gathers around to watch the kubol construction.
|
The
kubol is also the site of a kind of marathon
pabasa–literally a "reading" of the
pasyon, Jesus' life and suffering rendered into Philippine epic narrative form. It is generally read from a book and sung to some tunes commonly used for the purpose (most are played over speakers in MIDI form). The
pabasa is activated on Holy Wedesnday (when a procession places a crucifix in each
kubol) and ends on Good Friday. I heard that our local parish priest had called out in a disparaging manner that some people use recordings of the
pasyon instead of actually singing or reciting it. Interesting how a syncretic element has become something of importance to the Church institution itself!
 |
| The pasyon "songbook". The text at the bottom states: "The path of the Lord is the path of love". |
In the days leading up to Holy Wednesday, a fiesta-like atmosphere prevails. Streets are closed off, residents loiter around both the construction of the
kubol and the decorations of carriages that will ferry the statues around during Holy Friday procession. But even before either the processions or
pabasa begin, some casual drinking and loafing occurs at the newly "opened up" chunks of public space. There are always opinions being flung around about this floral arrangement or the color of some faux rocks.
Solicitations also abound at this time for things like construction materials, official
samahan t-shirts, and refreshments for devotees burning the midnight oil at the
pabasa. Our local
samahan promised, in exchange for our donation, unli-coffee and the privilege to hang around anytime. And because Holy Week this year came right before the mid-term elections, mayoral and
konsehal candidates topped the handwritten lists of donations that hung at almost every
kubol, a soft form of campaigning achieved by donating around Php500-Php2,500.
 |
| Failed mayoral candidate Jun-Jun Binay tops this list of donors. |
