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Filipino Catholics flock to churches, pilgrim sites to mark Good Friday

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/03/30/baguio.jpg"/><figcaption>A woman takes a photo of the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Baguio City on Good Friday. <em>Marianne Claire Reyes‎, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA—Thousands of Filipino Catholics throughout the country marked Good Friday by visiting different churches and pilgrimage sites.</p><p>In Baguio City, the faithful endured a 252-step climb to the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, a popular pilgrimage site.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/03/30/ten-commandments.jpg"/><figcaption>The 10 Commandments tablet in Baguio City is the largest in the world. <em>Marianne Claire Reyes‎, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Besides being the &quot;Summer Capital of the Philippines,&quot; Baguio also houses the largest 10 Commandments tablet in the world.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/03/30/cdo.jpg"/><figcaption>Filipinos cross a river to see the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine at Igbalalay Hills in Barangay Tablon in Cagayan de Oro. <em>Cris Angelo Andrade, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Thrill-seeking pilgrims in Cagayan de Oro endured a 4-kilometer trek and had to cross a river 10 times to see the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine at Igbalalay Hills in Barangay Tablon.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/03/30/guadalupe.jpg"/><figcaption>The Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine at Igbalalay Hills in Barangay Tablon, Cagayan de Oro. <em>Cris Angelo Andrade, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Among the 40,000 pilgrims who visited the site this year is Rey Cocamas and his family.</p><p>&quot;Last year, we had prayed to [the] Our Lady of Guadalupe so we wanted to go back [because our prayer] was granted. This is also our sacrifice for the Lent,&quot; he said.</p><p>At the foot of the shrine, pilgrims can enjoy horseback riding for P20.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/03/30/vigan.jpg"/><figcaption>Filipino Catholics wait outside St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral. <em>Ria Galiste, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>In Ilocos Sur, thousands took to the streets of Vigan City to join the procession at St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/03/30/vincent.jpg"/><figcaption>Devotees have parts of their body touched or stepped on by the image of St. Vincent Ferrer in Sagay City, Negros Occidental. <em>Yasmin Pascual-Dormido‎, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>In Negro Occidental, a different show of faith is being practiced by Catholics.</p><p>Hundreds of devotees trooped to the Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer in Barangay Vito, Sagay City to take part in &quot;Palapak,&quot; a Hiligaynon term that means &quot;to be stepped on.&quot;</p><p>Devotees do not only kiss or wipe the image of St. Vincent with a cloth or handkerchief, but they also have parts of their body touched or stepped on by the image.</p><p>Aniceta Bulanon, an 82-year-old devotee, claims that her devotion to the saint has allowed her to live a long lfie.</p><p>“A few years ago, I got sick. I felt pain on my chest but with the help of St. Vincent, I am still OK and I feel fine after every visit here,” Bulanon said.</p><p>Another faithful, Ledema Hortilano, said she feels &quot;healed&quot; whenever she visits the church.</p><p>“I feel light and freed from sorrows. Every time I suffer from body pain, I go here and touch the image of St. Vincent and I feel healed,” she said.</p><p>In other parts of the country, devotees choose to mark Good Friday with a bloody display of faith that involves crucifixion and flogging.</p><p>Known as Asia&#x27;s bastion of Catholicism, nearly 80% of Filipinos are Catholics, a legacy attributed to nearly 300 years of Spanish colonization.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/30/18/filipinos-mark-good-friday-with-crucifixion-flogging">Filipinos mark Good Friday with crucifixion, flogging</a></li></ul><p>—<strong>Reports from Cris Angelo Andrade, Yasmin Pascual-Dormido, Ria Galiste, and Marianne Claire Reyes, ABS-CBN News</strong></p>

<p>Some walk up 252 steps leading to a grotto, while others want to be "stepped on" by wooden statues of saints.</p>

Some walk up 252 steps leading to a grotto, while others want to be "stepped on" by wooden statues of saints.