More than a dozen men join Good Friday crucifixions in Philippines

Manila - More than a dozen men were expected to be nailed to wooden crosses in a northern Philippine city Friday while others whipped their backs bloody in an annual re-enactment of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. Tens of thousands of devotees and tourists flocked to San Fernando City in Pampanga province, 75 kilometres north of Manila, to witness the highlight of Easter celebrations in the predominantly Catholic Philippines. The crucifixions were being held in three villages in San Fernando City, with the main event taking place in San Pedro Cutud village, where about a dozen men signed up for the crucifixion. Another eight signed up in Santa Lucia village and four in nearby San Juan village. Dozens of hooded men walked shirtless and barefoot in streets in many parts of the country, hitting their backs with bamboo sticks attached to ropes or whips fitted with broken glass as penance for sins, offerings for wishes or a sign of thanksgiving. Rolando Bautista, a 38-year-old construction worker, was one of those to be nailed to the cross in San Juan. The father of five first joined the ritual in 2004 but stopped two years later when he left for work in Saudi Arabia. He returned home in 2007 after losing his job and decided to resume the crucifixion this year. 'I am doing this for my family, that no one will get sick and that we will get through our hardships,' he said. 'Times are very difficult with the crisis, and I hope that with this sacrifice, the crisis will be over.' Bautista admitted he was nervous about being nailed to the cross again. 'But I know that once I accept this as my sacrifice, the pain will be gone,' he said. 'There will be no more pain.' The 'Kristos' will first carry heavy wooden crosses in a procession to a dusty hill where the crucifixions would be held. Thirteen- to 15-centimetre nails soaked in alcohol are then hammered into the palms and feet of each of the Kristos, after which their crosses are lifted to a vertical position for at least five minutes under the scorching sun. The Roman Catholic Church officially frowns on the bloody rituals but makes little effort to discourage the highly popular practices. Foreigners used to join the crucifixion but were banned since 1997 after local officials learned that a Japanese man nailed to a cross the previous year was actually an actor being secretly filmed for a scene in a Japanese pornographic video. Easter is a major religious event in the Philippines, where more than 85 per cent of the population is Catholic. Most of the Holy Week has been declared public holidays to allow Filipinos to visit their home provinces or go on vacations. Government offices, private companies and most commercial establishments, such as shopping malls, are also closed.