Pilgrimage to Naga City

All roads led to Naga City recently for the celebration of the Peñafrancia Festival. Like Rome, Naga has many beautiful centuries-old churches that can be found within a short distance from each other. The festival, the only regional festivity of its kind in the Philippines today and perhaps the biggest Marian devotion event in Asia, is indeed a spectacle to behold. Our indefatigable host, Mayor Jesse M. Robredo (a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service 2000), together with his gracious wife, lawyer Leni Robredo, shared with us the history of Naga as we embarked on a tour around this nostalgic city. Senator Serge Osmeña and lovely wife Bettina met up with us as well.

"When Spanish troops first arrived in Naga in 1573, narra trees covered both banks of the river. Those narra forests gave the place its name – narra is Naga in Bicol," the Mayor told us while we were nursing a glass of calamansi soda after a 45-minute flight from Manila via PAL.

He added that the troops, led by Captain Juan de Salcedo, had come to Ibalon on a quest of gold mines. They were directed to Paracale where they found the Bicol folk working in the mines. The nearness of those mines to the Bicol River made that stream so important that the entire region and its people came to be known as Bicol, which is also a Spanish term that refers to the twisting of the river.

History has established Naga as the religious, educational and business center of the Bicolandia and so aptly deserves to be the "Heart of Bicol." What used to be a cloistered and sleepy third-class city until 1988, Naga has now become an expanding and dynamic first-class urban center.

Since Spanish times, it has been the seat of the Archdiocese of Caceres, which oversees the whole region. It is the site of two of the oldest colleges in the country: The Holy Rosary Minor Seminary founded in 1793, and the Colegio de Sta. Isabel founded in 1868, the first normal school for women in the Orient. To this day, Naga is the trading and commercial center of Bicolandia. The city’s public market is the biggest in the region. As such, Bicol Naga is considered the standard regional language. Above all, its annual celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia every third Saturday of September is practically the regional religious festival which gathers the Bicolano faithful together.

Of course, Bicolandia is also known for its exquisite cuisine, which is characterized by its spiciness. We were whisked off to one of the city’s best restaurants, called Aling Conching’s, on Diversion Road. Tang-Tang, the vivacious owner of the place, served us laing, Bicol express, pinangat, alimango sa gata and mazapan pili for dessert. For dinner, we sampled the sumptuous tuna panga, sizzling squid and spare ribs at Chili-Peppers on Magsaysay Avenue. Marianito Abella Sr. and Marianito Abella Jr., the charming father and son tandem who own the cozy restaurant, made sure we had the much-needed energy for the procession the following day.

We joined the thousands of devotees who walked the streets of Naga in fervent prayer. It is spellbinding to witness this kind of devotion among Filipinos and foreigners alike.

"The Blessed Virgin of Peñafrancia was long venerated in Salamanca, Spain, and a priest brought a replica of her image to Naga from Spain over 300 years ago," enthused Judy del Castillo who works at the Mayor’s office. She also said that miracles have been attributed to it, and thousands of faithful make pilgrimages to the riverside shrine every year. By 1655, the annual festival celebrated in the Virgin’s honor was attracting more devotees than the shrine could handle, so it was decided to take the image to the bigger Naga Cathedral for her feast day.

This Translacion, the ritual transfer of the Virgin, still takes place; from the shrine to the cathedral on the second Saturday of September, and with more pomp and enthusiasm still, from the cathedral back to the shrine on the third Saturday. Both processions comprise, by tradition, all-male retinues; it’s believed that women would bring bad luck. Nevertheless, the festival has not been without tragedy. In the early ’50s and again in 1973, an overloaded bridge collapsed under the strain of fervent spectators. On the last occasion, 138 died.

Peñafrancia features a novena (nine-day devotion). Many Bicolano expatriates make their annual visit home at this time. For a week, Naga is jumping. The cathedral is crowded as people attend masses and vigils, light candles, and line up to kiss the Virgin. Bars are busy. There are even cultural shows in the plaza, cockfights, sporting events, and a carnival.

At around noon, the Virgin’s image is borne shoulder-high out of the cathedral. It inches its way through jampacked streets, preceded by a brass band. Cries of "Viva la Virgen" mingle with the music. The statue eventually reaches Tabuco Bridge next to the market and is carried aboard the gaily decorated casco (a large flat-bottomed barge with an ornate pagoda) that awaits it. The image sways crazily as the masses scramble to touch it, but they say it has never been tipped into the river. It’s believed that those falling into the dirty water on this day won’t get sick.

The spectacular fluvial procession travels upstream, past densely crowded banks and bridges, to the new Peñafrancia Shrine. The barge is towed by dozens of small bancas and escorted by a host of other boats, including those carrying officials and newsmen. Only men are allowed on the boats since it’s feared that women would cause them to sink. Upon reaching the Peñafrancia Bridge, the Virgin is carried back to her shrine where, following a mass, the sacred image is placed for another year.

Undoubtedly, the city’s most famous festival remains to be the Peñafrancia Fiesta, the annual celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, patroness of Bicol.