This footage was filmed and produced 2 April 2021.
Until the surge in Covid-19 cases in the Philippines necessitated strict restrictions on mass gatherings, The Holy Week steeps most of the country in public piety and folk culture, sobers the usual sparks, and even changes hearts. From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday (Semana Santa, to many), the week brings wearied souls from homes and offices to churches, stressed city dwellers to their quiet hometowns, and the present time back to two millennia in Jerusalem. Different from the other big Christian season – Christmas – in its reverent and reflective mood, this one though is not any less in the tapestry of indigenous culture and color to celebrate the people’s faith.
"Penitensya" is a street event where some shirtless men are each scourged by a small wooden whip as they parade in the neighborhood under the scorching heat. Bare back bleeding, they are then tied or even nailed to a cross, their own Calvary atonement for their sins.