april-2012

promotional feature
Travel with
security
SUMMER’S HERE, and as we head
out to much-deserved holiday trips,
let’s go with the peace of mind that
comes from knowing this — that
the homes we are leaving behind
for a while are properly secured
and protected against fi res, most of
which occur during this hot and dry
season.
In its 51th year, Country
Bankers Insurance Corporation
(CBIC) continues to serve the
country through its various non-life
products, such as its Fire Insurance
on buildings and its contents:
this covers residential houses,
condominiums, offi ces, stock-intrade,
warehouse, machineries
and equipment, offi ce equipment
and other commercial or industrial
business establishments. Known in
the industry for its professionalism
and drive to give quality service,
CBIC has never failed to satisfy its
clientele through the delivery of
effi cient customer service. To know
more about the company’s Fire
Insurance and other products, you
may visit Country Bankers Centre,
648 T.M. Kalaw Ave., Ermita, Manila
or call +63 (2) 523 0621 to 23 or
log on to www.countrybankers.net
chikka buzz
Good Friday
festivals
Holy Week in the Philippines may be a time to refl ect,
but it’s also a time to check out its many religious
customs. These are worth the trip
MORIONES FESTIVAL
Staged in the island province of
Marinduque, this event is probably one of
the country’s most popular. Moriones tells
the story of Longinus, the Roman soldier
who pierced the side of Jesus during his
crucifi xion. He was blind in one eye, but
the spatter of Jesus’ blood made him see,
even witness the Messiah’s ascension into
heaven. When he shared his good news,
the Roman soldiers set out to capture him.
And so participants come garbed in colorful
masks and costumes of Roman centurions,
acting out the story that culminates in the
beheading of Longinus.
TURUMBA
It is believed that fi shermen in Laguna de
Bay caught an image of the Virgin Mary
in their nets during the 18th century. Now
celebrated in the province of Pakil, Laguna
— where Turumba originated — the yearly
affair venerates the Virgin Mary with a
procession through the streets, as devotees
sing and dance to the centuries-old Virgin
Mary image.
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THE CUTUD
CRUCIFIXIONS
Held annually in San Fernando,
Pampanga every Good Friday, this has
Catholic devotees wanting to cleanse
and do penance for their sins by selffl
agellation. Men march the streets towards
the Metropolitan Cathedral, whipping
themselves with wooden bristles attached
to a stick. The crucifi xion is also reenacted,
with men dressed as Roman soldiers and
a man actually getting nailed on a cross.
Defi nitely not for the faint-hearted.
ANG PAGTALTAL
SA GUIMARAS
This Lenten presentation is shown on the
hillside of Jordan, Guimaras. It takes after
the famed Passion Play of Oberammergau,
West Germany, and is performed by the
locals who bring to life Christ’s passion and
death as inspired by the Seven Last Words.
Participating devotees eventually make a
pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain, a chapel
that overlooks the Guimaras Strait and
Iloilo City.
TEXT MAYA O. CALICA PHOTO LESTER LEDESMA (MORIONES)