For a fee, Pampanga penitents willing to be nailed to the cross

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — Crucifixion, anyone?

Holy Week penitence here has gone from the spiritual to the mundane with penitents volunteering to be nailed to wooden crosses — for a fee. At least P5,000.

Zoilo Castro, chairman of Barangay San Pedro Cutud, where tourists flock to on Good Friday to witness crucifixions, said other barangays have begun to "compete" for attention by hunting for would-be Kristos.

"I have confirmed that one of my constituents had himself crucified last year because he was promised P5,000 for it," he said.

But he lamented the practice. "In our barangay, we have never resorted to that. We give importance to the meaning of mortification and sacrifice," he said.

Castro said they make sure that only sincere penitents are allowed to take part in the Good Friday spectacle. "They make vows for spiritual and other noble intentions," he added.

Take the case of Ruben Ynaje, 41, who will be San Pedro Cutud’s main Kristo this year. He volunteered to be nailed to the cross in 1986 in gratitude to God for sparing his life.

"I climbed a bamboo scaffolding and fell upon reaching the third floor level I was supposed to paint. I was not hurt at all," he recalled.