MikeLigalig.com

NAGA CITY — FOR the hordes of devotees and tourists waiting on the concrete banks of Naga River and along Panganiban Bridge, neither the nasty weather nor the three-hour wait was compelling enough to make them leave their spots and go elsewhere comfortable.

They remained rooted on their spot, armed with umbrellas, small snacks and videocameras. Patiently, they waited for the procession known for its color and religious fervor.

Waiting with the spectators were the colorfully garbed voyadores, who spent their idle time chatting with one another on their banca. Others took a dip by the river. Mostly males, the voyadores came from various Bicol municipalities to take part in the Peñafrancia Fiesta in fulfillment of their devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Fireworks erupted after almost three hours, signaling the start of the event. The blasts woke the crowd up, and they broke into applause. Candles lit up, hankies were waved, and shouts of “Viva La Virgen!” reverberated.

The voyadores started rowing the many rowboats, linked by huge ropes, at the end of which was the pagoda, which carried the image of the Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia or Our Lady of Peñafrancia. “Mother,” or Ina, as the Bicolanos fondly call her.

Those who make the yearly pilgrimage to the Peñafrancia Fiesta (celebrated sometime on the second week of September), the Grand Fluvial Procession is a main event. This water cavalcade sees the Virgin Mary’s icon returned to the Basilica Minore shrine in Bicol, after nine days of masses in the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral. The image is carried by barefooted voyadores across the main thoroughfares of the city from the Basilica Minore to the 400-year old Naga Cathedral in a ceremony known as the Traslacion.

The Penafrancia is a huge tourism pull for Naga, as well as a tradition for Bicolanos to show their undying devotion for the Blessed Virgin. Naga Cathedral parish priest Rev. Msgr. Zosimo Ma. Sañado praised the intense adoration Bicolanos have for the Blessed Virgin. Joe Perez of the Naga City Visitor Center said such devotion was present even during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.

Though the celebration is in veneration of a holy icon, Sañado pointed out that Bicolanos see how “God is using the image to give divine graces (to the people), like healing, and other miracles.”

“God showers His graces to us via the image, letting people experience divine intervention,” he explained to Philippine News.

The faith has become so strong that, he said, “Wherever there are Bicolanos in the world, there’s a Peñafrancia devotion.” He said he has attended celebrations in Vienna, Austria; Florida and San Francisco. He said fluvial processions were held in Rome over the Tiber River. The Peñafrancia Fiesta website (www.penafrancia.net) also reports of celebrations in non-Catholic countries such as Thailand.

“This is one of the signs of the strengths of our devotion,” Sañado said.

Sañado traced the Penafrancia history to the first parish priest of Naga Cathedral, Fr. Miguel Robles de Covarrubias, who as a sickly seminarian in the University of Santo Tomas was cured by his strong faith in Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Spain.

He vowed to build a church for Her, which originally was to be in Pasig City, but he was called upon by the bishop of Nueva Caceres (Naga City’s name during the Spanish occupation) to serve in Naga Cathedral. During construction, the priest had a statue carved in Her image. It was then that the Ina’s first miracle in Bicol was said to have been witnessed: A dog came back to life after its blood was used to paint the image.

Word of the miraculous image spread throughout Nueva Caceres. Residents requested the bishop to bring the statue to the city so they could visit and pray to her. This led to Ina’s icon being brought to the city via procession, which became the traditional Traslacion. It was agreed then that the image be returned after nine days via boat, the fastest means of transport in those times; this became the Fluvial Procession. Ina’s boat became a pagoda when a rich Chinese merchant offered to build the main boat.

Nearing its 300th anniversary (in 2010), the Peñafrancia Fiesta has also announced preparations for its tri-centennial celebration. Divided into three years, the preparations will have a “revisiting of the history of the devotion (for a) deeper understanding” dedicated from September 2007 to September 2008, the “finding of the significance of the Devotion to Ina in the contemporary life of the devotees” from September 2008 to September 2009, and “looking forward into the future with the intent of sharing the fruits of devotion to the next generations” from September 2009 to September 2010.

The Penafrancia celebration has made way for other activities, not necessarily religious in nature. There is the Civic Parade and the Military Parade, participated in by more than 400 contingents from schools all over Bicolandia. There is also the Miss Bicolandia beauty pageant and the Voyadores Streetdancing Competition. There are concerts and parties galore.

Sañado in fact sees these civic activities as “ways of honoring and praising Ina.”

“If not for the Peñafrancia Fiesta, these schools would not get together,” he said.

In addition, the local church considers the feast as a boon for the local entrepreneurs here. Sidewalks and mall corridors hawk interesting merchandise, from T-shirts to kitchenware.

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