‘Strange Fruit’

There’s no lack of rituals in this nation of 120 million as Filipinos observe Holy Week.

I’ve seen quite a few of these yearly traditions as I usually go around Metro Manila and beyond during this time – when even newsrooms shut down.

There are the men – young and old – who choose to have themselves nailed to the cross, bloodied and in pain. In a province in northern Luzon, there’s a sect of mostly religious women with long, flowing hair who climb up a hill before the crack of dawn to pray before giant crosses and life-sized rebultos of Jesus and the saints.

There are also dramatizations of the story of Longinus, the Roman centurion who pierced Jesus’ side with a spear as he hung on the cross.

In many parts of the country, village folks walk hundreds of meters in processions, some barefoot, others even on their knees.

From the golden hour all the way to nightfall, they walk tirelessly, carrying their rebultos to the town chapel or church.

This isn’t surprising, especially in a country with more than 500 years of Christianity.

It was the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, in the service of Spain, who first attempted to Christianize us when he landed in Cebu in 1521. Along with Spanish missionaries in the 16th century came Roman Catholicism and its liturgical traditions.

It’s the reason Christianity is all around us. When we travel to a province or a remote town, there is always a church or a kapilya.

Even the names of Filipinos take after famous saints – John, Anthony, Paul, Joseph, Mary and what-have-you.

And after all this time, we are one of only two countries in the world that still has no divorce, along with the Vatican. The Vatican’s theocracy, though, makes us practically the only nation that forbids divorce.

^{Isn’t it ironic?}

But the ironies and contradictions are stark and telling, and even more so now, as we see a nation more deeply divided and fragmented than it ever was.

Christianity, in its basic definition, is about striving to follow Jesus and the teachings of the Church in one’s life.

That is not what we see in our country today. Sure, Filipinos are generally a happy and kind people. We don’t go around physically attacking each other randomly on the streets, as sometimes happens in other countries.

But we see widespread hatred online, cyberbullying, gutter-level discussions, name-calling and vitriol-laden posts. Social media has become a Wild, Wild West of sorts. Political trolls and paid hacks go all out with guns blazing just to attack and demean foes and anyone who goes against their views.

Yet, it’s not only online. Once in a while, we also see people getting killed on our streets because of road rage, a reflection of how little we value life nowadays.

Whatever happened to non-violent communication? This is a method of communication created by psychologist Marshall Rosenberg, with the aim of promoting cooperative solutions that meet people’s needs.

Oh, but do we really care about solutions – or do we just want to spread so much hatred online, for our own political or personal interests?

On the campaign trail, we see candidates resorting to discrimination, misogyny and below-the-belt attacks instead of discussing their platforms.

Speaking of politicians, our Congress – and the list of candidates running in the elections next month – includes people with cases of corruption and other crimes.

Even pastors and prominent religious personalities have been tagged in jaw-dropping crimes.

There’s Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and his Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Quiboloy is currently facing non-bailable charges of qualified human trafficking, as well as child abuse and exploitation.

Before him, there’s Joel Apolinario, a self-anointed pastor, who founded the Kapa Community Ministry International, touted as the largest investment scam in Philippine history.

Speaking of ironies, divorce, as I said, remains illegal in our country, because it is still challenged by different sectors, including schools, the church and our politicos, some of whom have made headlines for having paramours.

How did we get here and what do we do about it?

I have no answers, just a recording that here we are in 2025 – 504 years after Christianity arrived in our country – more deeply divided than we ever were, no thanks to the war of two political forces, the Marcoses and the Dutertes.

But I’d like to think that people, like society, are constantly evolving, even if we fall two steps backward before making a step forward.

Hopefully, someday, we will see an end to our messed up elite-driven politics, deteriorating education, corrupt Congress and a culture that allows all these.

What comes to mind is the 1939 song “Strange Fruit,” made famous by Billie Holiday, which is a haunting metaphor that refers to the victims of racial violence against African Americans in the US. The fruit refers to Black bodies hanging from trees in the American South.

Strange, indeed – as surreal and chilling as the contradictions we see in our country today. Perhaps it’s something to ponder this Holy Week.

But hope springs eternal, as they say.

And if it doesn’t seem that way for now, at least we can all agree that ours is a widely entertaining society, filled with all the action, drama and black comedy.

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Email: eyesgonzales@gmail.com. Follow her on X @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.