Makati keeps tradition alive through Kalbaryo

MANILA, Philippines - Mention Makati City and the mind immediately conjures up images of tall buildings, traffic jams and business people crossing the intersections of Ayala and Buendia Avenues at rush hour.

But there is another side of the city that stands out during Holy Week, a side that reflects the zeal and fervor of a community to keep a religious tradition alive.

Come Holy Wednesday, Barangay Poblacion, the city’s historic hub comes alive with the reading or rather singing of the Pasyon or the story of the Passion of Jesus Christ. But unlike in other parts of the country where the Pasyon is also read, in Barangay Poblacion, the readings are organized by Samahans or associations under the supervision of the Parish of St. Peter and Paul Church. And unlike in other places, the reading of the Pasyon is done in the presence of an elaborate tableau called a Kalbaryo.

Each Kalbaryo or “mini calvary” is unique from the next as it aims to represent episodes of the suffering of Jesus Christ, which ultimately ends in His crucifixion. The Kalbaryos or tableaus are works of faith with their elaborate designs and the life-sized antique religious images that serve as the main focus of attention.

There are now 73 Kalbaryos in Barangay Poblacion where the reading of the Pasyon is done by Kalbaristas who read each Holy Week as a form of panata or penance.

“It is a way to communicate the Passion of the Lord. This is unique in Makati,” said Fr. Estelito Villegas, parish priest of the St. Peter and Paul Church for the past four years now. Villegas adds that some Kalbaryos would sometimes borrow images from the parish church just to make their tableaus complete.

Of the Kalbaryos now in Barangay Poblacion, the oldest would be the Kalbaryo of the “Makati Sporting” association which was organized on Feb. 17, 1921.

“Our fathers who organized this Kalbaryo were basketball fans so the Kalbaryo was named as such,” said Flordeliza Atilon, 54, president of the association.

Located along E. Zobel street in Barangay Poblacion, the Kalbaryo of the “Makati Sporting” is unique as it is only one of at least five Kalbaryos that were built permanently. According to barangay residents, most of the Kalbaryos are built days before Holy Wednesday along the streets of Barangay Poblacion. “The other Kalbar­yos are dismantled on Easter Sunday but ours remain. After Holy Week, the Kalbaryo is sometimes used for wakes and even Masses,” said Atilon.

Inside the red brick-lined “Makati Sporting” Kalbaryo is the imposing image of the “Pieta” which portrays the Virgin Mary holding the body of Jesus Christ. The “Pieta” image takes center stage in the Good Friday procession that makes its way through the barangay.

On Good Friday, all the images from the different kalbaryos are taken out and placed on elaborately decorated carozas and take part in the procession.