Penitensya: a tradition that will last

Filipinos’ celebration of Holy Week has always been colorful and meaningful. This can be attributed to the traditions and Panata they have practiced ever since. One of which is the “Penitensya” or the reenactment of Christ carrying his cross when he was sentenced to death by crucifixion.

In Cainta, Rizal, townpeople are still engaged in this Holy Week street drama. The tradition of Penitensya still lives on and has not faded. Neither has it failed its audience, who come annually.

Actors dress like early Jews, putting on their Arabian costumes, goatees and wigs. Chariots are carried by horses and some Pontius Pilates and other royal soldiers in their armors ride in it. Jerusalem women are also seen in the midst of the afternoon walking on the narrow streets of the town. And Jesus Christ in his typical red and white costume with his crown of thorns is seen carrying the big cross and some Jersulem townpeople or “taong bayan” are hitting him on his back with whip made of rubber.

There are a lot of organizations in Cainta which conduct this activity. In fact, the municipal government created an umbrella organization for these cultural organizations and named it the Cainta Panata Council. One of the organizations which belong here is the Kabataan ng Kalbaryo, Inc. (KNKI).

Starting out in 1995, the group just imitated what they see in the street drama. They called their performances “Kristu-krituhan.”

They started out as children playing on the streets and seeing

the acts of penitensya. Now, it’s them who actually do it.

They were a group of children fascinated with what they saw. That is why they made their improvised cross and whips (pamalo or panghataw), and they try to carry the cross and mimic the whole act.

The group expanded until it became a formal organization who now ride their own chariot, wears the costume they made, and recite lines from the Pasyong Mahal–the book read during the Pabasa which is another holy week tradition where senior members of the town read the epic life of Jesus Christ.

The group’s headquarters is located at a residential house in A. Mabini Street in Cainta, Rizal, also called Barrio. And it is also in this house that they do rehearsals.

Your attention will get caught once you pass that street in Cainta because of big voices that you’ll overhear coming from men practicing and throwing their lines. The feeling is as if you are back to old Jerusalem.

The rehearsals happen two months prior to Holy Week and costumes are made three months prior.

The costumes are prepared three months before the holy week.

Organizations like the KNKI receive annual cultural fund from the local government that’s worth P40, 000. But according to founding member and board member of KNKI Monde Dela Paz, the fund they receive from the government is not enough and they have to ask for solicitations from local residents to sustain the needs of his crew and the organization.

In my interview with Dela Paz, he mentioned that in just feeding his actors and actresses who are around 100 in all, the organization spends so much where there are other expenses like the sound system, horse rental, etc. that needs allocation from their budget.

Another problem that the KNKI and the other organizations are facing is the promotion done by the local government which is very weak.

“Kinamulatang kultura na kasi namin ito pero mahina yung pagpropromote na ginagawa ng munisipyo.” (This is the culture that we have been exposed to, but the government’s support for its promotion is weak.) Dela Paz stated.

Totoy, one of the actors in Penitensya has already experienced carrying the cross and getting hit in the back. According to him, it’s a sort of “Panata” for him to do it in the belief that his parents will get good health and that the sins he have done will be forgiven or be lessen by God.

“Masakit na masarap magpasan. Parang kapatawaran kasi ‘yun sa kasalanan mo saka para sa pamilya kapag nagkakasakit.” (There is a sensation I get when I carry the cross and get flagellated in the back. I feel that my sins are forgiven and that my family gets good health every time I do it.) he said.

Members of KNKI come from different age bracket. There are those who are already working, some are still student, some are married already. But they don’t restrict anyone to join their organization. There is no age limit and even people of young age can join.

Their only restriction is that members should be from Cainta and that they should be baptized Catholics. Most of the members are from nearby barangays in Cainta and all of them are Catholics when asked what their religion is.

On Maundy Thursday, KNKI plans to perform a “mini-senakulo”–a stage performance of some scenes in the bible particular to Jesus Christ’s life. Theirs is different from the usual week-long Senakulo because they are a small organization and they don’t really do Senakulo. The day after is the Lenten Parade where all the cultural organizations performing Senakulo and Penitensya will gather in a parade announcing the start of their shows.

Caintaeños will surely watch again this annual tradition. The Thursday and Friday afternoon streets will be flooded again with people in Jewish costumes and people who excitedly wait for the show to set off.

This is one culture that will forever run in the bloods of the Caintaeño as long as there are fascinated audience and as long as there are children imitating this acts just like how KNKI started their humble beginnings.

Dragonboat Rowing: A New Kind of Adventure

The Manila Ocean Park became a venue for a cheerful spectacle March 28.
The 2nd Manila Ocean Park (MOP) Dragonboat Regatta was held from 7 a.m. up to 5 p.m. at the concourse area where admission was free.

It was literally a colorful scene. With 18 participating teams, the entire place was filled with paddlers in their respective uniforms. Even the oars provided visual awe. Some had stickers on it. Others had an entirely different color far from the usual wooden paddle.

Whenever a race started, one could not help but be amazed at how the dragonboats were brought to life by human power. The synchronized movements of the paddlers together with the beat of the drums were blissful to witness.
No matter how far the crowd was from the paddlers, supporters and teammates cheered all the way for their teams. The solidarity of each team was evident.
The regatta deviated from the usual 250-meter distance category. Instead, the course was 300 meters. Some paddlers say the 50-meter difference is a big deal.

Winners of the race received medals, plaques, and MOP Oceanarium tickets. Following are the official race results.


Other teams included Manila Blazing Paddles, Manila Ocean Park, Maharlika Drakon, Blue Phoenix, Lufthansa Technik Philippines, Manila Dragons, UP Dragonboat Team, Rowers Club Philippines, PYROS (Philippine Youth Rowing Society), Manila Wave Paddlers Club, One Piece Drakon Sangres, and Aqua Fortis.


Heat 2, Men’s division: PDRT Fireblades surprises everyone by being the first to reach the finish line despite being left behind in the earlier part of the course.


Aside from the MOP, the race was sponsored by Pik-Nik, Iberet Multivitamins, Life House Drugstore, Natrapharm, and Pocari Sweat.


Origins
Dragonboat racing has become a famous sport, though it is not yet included in the Olympics.

As early as 2000 years ago, dragonboats were already common in China but were not used for racing purposes. The Chinese celebrate the Duanwu festival where they row dragonboats as part of their rituals. Later on, dragonboats were adopted in nearby countries like Malaysia and Singapore. As the popularity of dragonboats boomed, paddling these boats for races became a new sport.


Equipment and Player Roles
Basically, a team needs a dragonboat and each member must have his or her own oar.

A standard dragonboat can carry 20 pairs at most. The front of a dragonboat is decorated with a dragon’s head. At the rear is a dragon’s tail.

Oars of the best quality can be found at China or Singapore. For beginners, it is recommended to use the wooden oar. By the time they have mastered the sport, they can use the carbon fiber oar. It is a lot lighter than the wooden one so the result is maximum power while rowing.

Players are seated by pairs. The leading pairs are usually the first two pairs known as the pacers. The most skilled players are appropriate for this role since they are responsible for setting the whole team’s timing.

Near the head of the dragonboat is the drummer. This person does the crucial role of providing the beats, depending on whether the team should accelerate or decelerate. A drummer is just like a conductor in an orchestra.

At the end of the boat is the steerer who manipulates the boat’s direction. During competitions, he or she is responsible for keeping the boat at the center of their lane because otherwise, the team would be disqualified.


In the Philippines
Dragonboat racing was introduced in the Philippines sometime during 1980s. Among the early pioneering teams were Manila Dragons, Aqua Fortis, Philippine Dragonboat Rowing Team, and PYROS.

Training schedules are usually set by the Philippine Dragonboat Federation (PDBF). Customarily, these trainings are done at Manila Bay near CCP Complex. Trainings can be as early as 5:30 a.m. They often last for two hours.


Manila Dragons: Up-close
The Manila Dragons Dragonboat Rowing Team was founded 1985.

Right now, they are being trained by Augusto “Agot” L. Dakila. Coach Agot was once a member of the Philippine National Rowing Team from 1991-2000. He also used to train the Philippine Navy Rowing Team and the Philippine Women’s Dragon Team.

According to him, the asset of Manila Dragons is their companionship. The team’s camaraderie doesn’t end when a competition comes to a close. Through their frequent trainings every Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the team is able to radiate a special kind of bond with each other. This is enough to keep the team alive for almost 25 years.



Using hard strokes, the Manila Dragons exert their maximum effort to keep up the fight.



The team is a motley crew of doctors, lawyers, housewives, call center employees, restaurant owners and cancer survivors.


Interested?
Joining a team is easy. The only requirement is a willingness to learn. Age doesn’t matter in this sport. For those below 18 yrs. old, only a waiver signed by the parents is needed.

One can always check out the websites of the existing teams. Majority of these teams are always open for recruitment. Just contact the person in charge and join them in their trainings.

Aside from being a form of recreation, the sport is also a form of exercise. A lot of paddlers say they became more fit during the course of the training.
Now that summer has arrived, trying this sport may almost be the same as going to the beach, only nearer because the training is done in the city.

Student Jinxed Before Valentine's Day

On the eve of Valentine’s Day, an 18-year-old was jinxed twice.

Not by love, however.

Dunhill Arellano Ong, a resident of Filinvest, Cainta, was beaten up then robbed in two separate incidents in Cainta, Rizal.

He was initially attacked by an employee of Halina Bar and Restaurant.

According to the police report, Ong was having a drinking spree in the bar when the suspect approached him.

The suspect then punched Ong in the face several times for no apparent reason.

The suspect was identified as “Mitch.” When asked what the gender of the suspect was, Desk Officer and PO1 Auggie Bidaure answered, “Gay.”

Upon arriving home, Ong found some of important belongings missing.

He blamed his housemates for the alleged theft in his house in Lot 1 Block 9 Mansion Road, Sierra Monte Mansion Filinvest, Cainta, Rizal.

The victim reported the incident at 12:50 in the afternoon at the Cainta Police Office.

PO1 Bidaure was the officer in charge when the victim reported what happened.

On the Trail of the Yellow Army

Josh


Josh Babasa has managed to convince all the members of his household to vote for Noynoy Aquino in the May elections. His mom, dad, aunt, brother, grandmother, and some of his parents’ friends are now Noynoy converts. He himself, though, cannot vote for Noynoy.

He is 16 years old.

Josh has just finished his junior year in high school, where he is student council president. This summer, he will not be hanging out at the mall or playing video games in Internet cafés like any boy his age would. Instead, he will be volunteering for Yo!Noy or Youth for Noy, a group that encourages the youth to get involved in the elections.

Of course, they promote Noynoy Aquino for president, too.

Tech-savvy individuals as they are, they have latched on to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to amass more members for the Yellow Army, as they have dubbed themselves. They also write blogs to let others know about their experiences as part of the Noynoy camp.

Josh and his friends do traditional campaigning too. “Flyering” is their term for, well, handing out flyers to everyone from MRT passengers to bus barkers. “Stickering” is their word for giving out car stickers to motorists. Sometimes drivers are so eager for stickers that they cause traffic jams. There are “palengke runs” too, where volunteers distribute caps, ballers, and other giveaways to people in wet markets.

Josh recalls vendors telling him they would still vote for Noynoy and vice presidential candidate Mar Roxas even if they weren’t given any merchandise. They also vowed they were “Aquino-Roxas pa rin kahit bayaran ng iba (for Aquino-Roxas even if paid by other candidates).”

So far though, the most memorable Yo!Noy activity Josh has been in was of the flyering sort in Ortigas. After receiving a flyer, a vendor told him, “Sana manalo siya. Sana makuha natin ang pagbabago (I hope Noynoy wins. I hope we finally get the change we’ve been waiting for).”

“It was really heartfelt, really sincere,” says Josh. But he has had his share of frustrations too, being part of the Yellow Army. “When they say, ‘Wala namang alam ‘yan eh (Your candidate is stupid),’ when we hand them flyers. You just have to keep on smiling, respect their opinions.”

This is exactly what they are trained to do, usually at assemblies at the People Power Volunteer Center, also known as “Balay Cubao,” in Quezon City.

Karl



Karl Satinitigan, now a familiar face at Balay Cubao, leads such assemblies. As head of Yo!Noy’s NCR chapter, he travels throughout the region to give talks on why Noynoy is his candidate and how fellow supporters can spread the word about the senator.


Karl with friends at a palengke run. Photographed by Geric Reyes.

The 22-year-old’s schedule is often packed. Sometimes he even forgoes his morning shower just to get to an activity on time.

Karl likes to begin his presentations by quoting entrepreneur Paul Hawken as saying, “The most unrealistic person in the world is the cynic, not the dreamer. Hope only makes sense when it doesn’t make sense to be hopeful. This is your century. Take it and run as if your life depends on it.”

And he needs hope more than ever.

The worst thing about being part of the campaign for Noynoy, Karl says, is “being privy to the worst possible scenarios and sometimes briefly feeling so helpless knowing people can do the most harmful things. Just the other day, operators close to COMELEC approached a director-friend of mine [naming] the price [to pay] to [place tenth to twelfth] in the [senatorial] race.”

What keeps him going is “seeing the formerly apathetic shine and inspire others…. We just have to continue the one big laban (fight).”

He does this through his seminars. The most vital part of it are his lessons on how to answer such questions as, “What has Noynoy done?,” “What about Hacienda Luisita?,” and “What is his stand on the RH Bill?” Much like a graded recitation, he calls on audience members and fires these questions at them to test their knowledge.

Joshua


Joshua Duldulao is no stranger to questions like these. The head of Yo!Noy’s UP Diliman chapter, he participates in discussions about Noynoy and running mate Mar Roxas at the university’s AS Lobby every Friday afternoon. He and his friends call these sessions “Noy-Mar 101.”



“I am a converted cynic,” the 21-year-old says. “Before Tita Cory died, I looked at the roster of presidentiables and I found them all trapos (traditional politicians). [Her death served] as a reminder to everyone that there was once a leader who was able to gather people from all walks of life… to unite as one. She was a leader who [had] integrity, who [had] been honest to herself and to the country. [So I saw that] there’s logic behind the idea of the people to push Senator Aquino to continue the laban of his father and his mother.”

Although he admits his decision to support Noynoy was initially spurred by emotion, he did his research and was pleasantly surprised at what he found out.

“Nakita ko… na wala siyang naipasang batas, pero ang nakita ko dun sa labing-apat na sinulong niyang batas sa senado, at ‘yung iba pang sinulat niya sa kongreso, mayroong consistency dun sa mga pronouncements niya bago siya tumakbo, na gusto niyang maging fiscalizer, gusto niya na mag-work ‘yung checks and balances sa government. And then tinignan ko: ano ba ‘yung issue ni Senator Aquino? Wala siyang corruption charges (Although he wasn’t able to pass any laws, there is consistency in the 14 bills he pushed for in the Senate, and those he wrote in Congress, with his pronouncements before he ran for president. He wants to become a fiscalizer, to make the checks and balances between the branches of government to work. Are there any negative issues regarding Senator Aquino? He has no corruption charges).”

Joshua joined the Pinoy Power movement, a group which supports Noynoy’s bid, and became part of its policy group. This is where he helped craft the outline of the senator’s 16-point agenda.

His belief in Noynoy only intensified when he learned that the senator had a 20-hour sit-down with “policy bigwigs of the Liberal Party and sectoral groups” to discuss the draft. “He commented on almost every agenda of the platform. There were consultations about the environment, economy, education.”

Now that he is on his summer break, Joshua continues to organize activities to promote his candidate of choice.

“Here’s a leader with integrity. Here’s a leader with competence. And here’s a leader who listens to the people.”

Follow Yo!Noy on Twitter.

Gordon Wins UP-CMC Mock Elections

Richard Gordon won a mock presidential election conducted by the Department of Journalism at the University of the Philippines Diliman February 24.

370 students from the UP College of Mass Communication (UP-CMC) voted, of whom 139 gave Gordon the seal of approval.

Gilbert Teodoro came in second at 107 votes, while Benigno Aquino III placed third with 48 votes. Manuel Villar earned 37 votes, Nicanor Perlas 15, Edgardo Villanueva five, Jamby Madrigal three, and Joseph Estrada one.

Students told members of the Department of Journalism they voted for Gordon because he had “experience,” “competence,” and “political will.” His “kamay na bakal (iron fist)” and perceived ability to “deliver the results this country needs” were also mentioned.

On the other hand, former Dean of the UP-CMC Professor Luis V. Teodoro described Gordon as “really, really smooth” and “slick as glass.”

In an analysis of the election results, Teodoro said though the culture at UP had a pro-poor and pro-reform character, the voters’ rejection of Villar and Aquino, who were pro-poor and pro-reform respectively, were “expressions of protest” against the “nine presidentiables who [were] hardly choices at all.”

Yahoo! Forum Features Social Media’s Role in the 2010 Elections

Social media awareness was the topic of a forum at the Hotel InterContinental Manila February 16.

Yahoo! Southeast Asia organized the forum dubbed “Tapping the groundswell: How social media will change the way elections are covered.”

Journalists, bloggers and web-workers spoke about social media, which includes websites allowing users to share content online.

Yahoo! Philippines General Manager Jack Madrid gave examples like Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo!’s recently launched Meme.

He said communication has changed. This was why Yahoo! introduced their “Purple Thumb” advocacy, to engage people in the upcoming elections through social media.

Managing Editor of Yahoo! Southeast Asia Alan Soon talked about the “Now Revolution,” pertaining to the modernization of news. In the past, news was what happened. Today, news was something that happened and was made available to everybody.

Simply put, Soon said, “If news is important enough, it will find me.”

Ethics could not be set aside in social media, said Yahoo! Southeast Asia Social Media Editor Joey Alarilla. He said online and print media followed the same journalistic ethics. This included telling the truth, citing sources, never plagiarizing, and not accepting bribes.

Another speaker for ethics was Vera Files writer and political blogger Ellen Tordesillas. Social media, according to her, blurred the line between public and private activity.

She gave actress Gina Alajar’s Facebook wall post against starlet Krista Ranillo as an example. Alajar may have considered her post private, but Tordesillas believed one had to assume everything one wrote was public, no matter what privacy tools one used in social media.

The last speaker for the morning was GMANews.tv Editor-in-chief Howie Severino. He discussed how social media was integrated in the newsroom by citing four instances in recent Philippine history.

In May 2009, GMANews.tv aired the videostream of Hayden Kho’s senate hearing, after he was involved in a sex tape scandal with actress Katrina Halili.

In July, GMANews.tv also aired President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address in real-time.

In August, GMANews.tv aired a live videostream of former president Cory Aquino’s funeral. GMANews.tv also integrated Facebook Connect and Twitter into their website.

During typhoon Ondoy in September, GMANews.tv provided an interactive map of people who needed help.

Jazz-dance Concert Held at UP Theater

Students, faculty and families flocked to the free jazz-dance concert “Sing! Dance! Sing!” February 5 at the Aldaba Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman.

The UPD Office of the Chancellor, UPD Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, UP College of Music, and the University Theater combined efforts to put on the show.

There were performances by the UP Jazz Ensemble conducted by Professor Raymundo Maigue, and the UP Dance Company with choreography from various artistic directors such as Professor Basilio Esteban Villacruz, Ms. Angel Lawengko-Baguilat and Mr. Herbert Alvarez.

Opening the program was Director Ruben D.F. Defeo of the UPD-OICA, followed by the Jazz Ensemble’s first piece called “Count Bubba” which was composed by Gordon Goodwin.

Guest performer at the event was Lara Maigue, who sang four songs accompanied by the Ensemble.

“Sing! Dance! Sing!” was one among many free performances at the Theater in February. The University Theater was full.

Songs featured in the gig were mostly American jazz, but local flavor was also infused when Boy Palacio’s arrangement of “Planting Rice” was played as well as a jazz version of “Pahinungod” composed by Ryan Cayabyab and Rio Almario.

The main style of the dance presentations was modern ballet.

The program closed by an encore performance by the UP Jazz Ensemble and the UP Dance Company.