77. 10 RARE AND EARLY PHOTOS OF FLAGELLANTS IN PAMPANGA

The ways of  flagellants have always inspired awe and curiosity amongst the faithful during the days of Lent. Pampanga flagellants, however, have a different intent. Bloodied, scourged and caked with dust, magdarames live and act out the passion of the Lord—and the term “dámé”, to sympathize and share one’s grief, to take part in someone else’s suffering-- captures this spirit of oneness, in pain and sorrow. Here are, early images of the “magdarame” in Pampanga,  preserved by the camera from the turn of the 20^th century to the 1950s.

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1. MAMALASPAS

Barefooted flagellants from the early 20th century have their backs incised with wounds, drawing blood by whipping their backs with burilyos--bamboo strips tied to a cloth. These magdarame types are called mamalaspas, A distinctive sound is heard when the bamboo strips strike the flesh.

2. MAGDARAMES IN A VISITA

Makeshift chapels of wood, nipa and light materials serve as pitstops for  retinue of magdarames. Here, at these gaily decorated visitas, they pause to say their prayers, before moving on.

 3. MAGDARAME ANONYMOUS.

A magdarame remains anonymous by covering his face with a black hood or a white cloth, called "capariza", held in place by a crown of vines or twisted branches. These days, the face cover is an option as some modern-day flagellants expose their faces to the world. Instead, a piece of cloth is used to covers their heads, Arab-style.

4. BLOOD AND GORE

The back of a magdarame  is incised with a panabad, a paddle with shards of broken glass or directly with a razor or the sharp tip of a knife, such as the one shown in the photo.

5. EYES ON THE MAGDARAME

A group of American ladies from nearby Fort Stotsenburg gawk at a cross-bearing magdarame, followed by his aide, who intones prayers. Then, as now, magdarames were strange sights to see for foreigners. Today, the display of unusual practices such as flagellation and crucifixion are part of a 'religious tourism program' propagated by such places led by the City of San Fernando.

 6. THE CROSS-BEARERS

A popular type of magdarame is the cross-bearer or mamusan kurus. He either carries a cross or is tied to one. This flagellant carries a cross of bamboo, and he carries its full weight as the cross does not touch the ground. Today's crosses are fashioned from commercial lumber from hardware stores, or fashioned from old electric posts. They are also unusually long, so that the end of the cross touches the ground, thus providing support,

 7. THE WAY OF THE CROSS

Flagellants often walked country trails and roads, in small packs of 8 to 12. Others go on solitary walks, the better to reflect on his personal mission to be united in suffering with Christ. An American in a white suit follows this group in their walk of faith.

8. WHIP IT GOOD!

Another kind of magdarame is the sasalibatbat, who fling their bodies to the ground, rolling over sharp rocks and stones in the process. They are followed by a flogger, who whips them when they are on the ground. Their torsos, legs and arms are tied with abaca rope to impair circulation, hence making the experience more torturous.

9. EVERYTHING'S ALRIGHT?

An ayudante checks on the condition of a magdarame, sprawled on the field under the hot, mid-day sun.  The walk around town begins in the morning, ends by early afternoon and is followed by a dash to the nearest river for a quick, recuperative bath.

10. CRUCIFY HIM!

A magdarame is symbolically crucified, by having his arms tied on the crossbar.  The first re-enactment of Christ's crucifixion happened in the 1955 "Via Crucis" in San Fernando, but it was only in 1962 that an actual crucifixion was done, with the nailing of Artemio Anoza to the cross in barrio San Pedro Cutud. Anoza believed he could realize his dream to be a faith healer with his crucifixion.

PHOTO SOURCES:

Photos, courtesy of "Old Pampanga" FB Group.

Others: Alex R.castro, ebay.com 

68. 12 GIANT SAN FERNANDO LANTERN TRIVIA

COLORFUL 'SAMPERNANDU' LANTERN, Magazine Cover, Esso Silangan, 1965

The famed San Fernando giant lantern is a product of Kapampangan innovation, creativity and tireless effort. So the next time you witness their spectacular display of lights, color and dazzle, do appreciate the hard work put into each of these works of art that can be considered truly Kapampangan. Here are vintage photos and trivia about this Christmas parul that put Pampanga in the world map.

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EARLY LANTERN PHOTO, SAN FERNANDO.  Taken 26 Dec..1909.
Luther Parker Collection.

1.This predecessor of the modern day Giant Lantern Festival was actually a religious activity which we know today as “lubenas.” The lanterns measured just two feet in diameter, created in each barrio from bamboo and other locally available materials. During the nine-day simbang gabi novena before Christmas, these paruls were brought around each barrio in procession to their visita. Before the midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the lanterns were brought to the town church together with the barrio patrons. This tradition gradually evolved as the lanterns became bigger and the designs more intricate. Later, one big lantern was made for each barrio, which was created through a cooperative effort.

 

TYPICAL SAN FERNANDO PROCESSIONAL LANTERN,1960,

2. The first documented lantern maker was Francisco Estanislao, active ca. 1908, from Barrio Sta. Lucia, San Fernando. “Apung Isku”, aided by his wife, crafted paruls in the 1900s using bamboo sticks, cotton, string, satin and coco fabric panels, which were glued to the framework using gelatinous rice paste. The back is left uncovered to accommodate the ‘kalburo’ (carbide) lights.

 

DEL PILAR GIANT LANTERN, 1940s

3. The San Fernando Giant Lantern Festival, which is held every December, finds its roots in Bacolor where a much simpler activity was held. Following the transfer of the provincial capital from Bacolor to San Fernando in August of 1904, this parul event followed as well.

STO.NINO GIANT LANTERN, in 1956

4. The earliest mention of a lantern procession that culminated in a lantern contest, was reported in the religious publication  in a 1930 issue of,“Ing Misyonero”, (year 4, no. 11) that was won by brgy. Del Pilar, followed by Sto. Niño. The next year,  it was reported in the same magazine that eight  barrios participated in the Christmas pageant  that was highlighted by lively band music and a colorful lantern competition with Del Pilar achieving a back-to-back win.

LANTERN PARADE IN SAN FERNANDO, 1960

5. It is believed that electricity was introduced to the San Fernando lantern in 1931. At this time, the lights were controlled by individual switches that were turned on and off following the beat of the music. Pioneer participants included the barangays of Del Pilar, Sta. Lucia and San Jose.

GIANT LANTERNS, from 1960

6. According to another version claimed by old folks, the Giant Lantern Festival started during the time of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon. At that time, Quezon was trying to make Pampanga a model province. In fact, he made Arayat his vacation place and converted the legendary mountain into a tourist resort. As a show of gratitude to Quezon, the people of San Fernando held a Christmas lantern contest to honor the first family. Quezon himself donated the prize for this lantern contest, which was personally awarded to the winner by First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon.

SAN FERNANDO LANTERN EXHIBIT, Luneta. 1961

7. Severino David, married to Fortunata Estanislao (daughter of Francisco) is credited with introducing the battery-operated giant lanterns in the 1940s. Great strides in the 1950s made the San Fernando Giant Lantern more visually impactful. Steel wire was introduced in 1950 by Mario Datu and Susing Manalang for use in making the framework of the lantern, thus making it stronger.

INTRICATE LANTERN DESIGN, 1965

8. In 1957, Rodolfo David  invented the rotor system that used ordinary hairpins, attached to the end of the wires leading to each individual bulb. Masking tape strips are placed on the rotor to serve as light switches. As the rotor is turned, the hairpins brushes the tape strips, thus cutting off the current flow that lit the bulbs. When that particular hairpin regains contact with the steel rotor, the bulbs are again lit. Thus, the placement of the tape on the rotors determines the interplay of lights on the lanterns and can spell success or disaster for each entry.

SAN FERNANDO LANTERNS used in a San Miguel Beer Ad.1969

9. The lanterns gained national prominence in 1960, when, the Board of Travel and Tourism Industry and the Philippine Tourist and Travel Association sponsored the San Fernando lantern parade in front of the Luneta Grandstand. Beginning in 1964,  San Fernando lanterns became available for sale to the public, giving birth to the commercial lantern industry.

SAN FERNANDO LANTERNS, 1969

10. The Giant Lantern Festival, which was already an established San Fernando institution was cancelled for two years (1978-1979) by Mayor Armando Biliwang  because of Martial Law. It was revived in 1980. In 1987, Former San Fernando Mayor Virgilio “Baby” Sanchez started producing Capiz lanterns for the export markets, with MAKVEL Enterprises. These lanterns followed the traditional San Fernando design and were developed with the assistance of the Design Center of the Philippines. The next year, the first fiberglass lanterns were installed at the Pampanga Convention.

SAN FERNANDO LANTERN, 1979

11. The new 90s decade saw the transfer of the annual Giant Lantern Festival to the Paskuhan Village. The lanterns made international appearances at the World Expo in Seville (1992), and at the Hollywood Christmas Parade (1993). The festival venue was relocated to the open parking grounds of the SM City Pampanga at the turn of the new millennium.

LANTERN MAKER, Jesus Maglalang. 1979

12. The best-performing barangays in the Giant Lantern Festival Competition include Del Pilar, which had an incredible 9-year winning streak in the 1980s. before that, Sta. Lucia was a perennial champion. Brgys. San Felipe and Telabastagan almost became Hall of Famers (3 championships in a row) in the first decade of the 2000. In recent times, Brgy. Dolores has bagged the championship 4 times in a span of 10 years.

BONUS!

Double Take: LANTERN LOOK-ALIKES

TRADITIONAL MEXICAN WREATHS, have designs that mimic that of the famed San Fernando lanterns. Could these have been design inspirations as we also have a history of Mexican-Philippine relations? Or just plain coincidence?

VERY ENGLISH, VERY SAMPERNANDU. A giant lantern of English make has a striking similarity with the giant San Fernando lantern of San Jose. Taken at the Covent Garden, London, 1965.

SOURCES:

Henares, Ivan Anthony S. (2001). HOW TO MAKE A GIANT LANTERN: The story Behind the Giant Lanterns of San Fernando. School Project. University of the Philippines.

HISTORY OF GIANT LANTERN-MAKING IN SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA (Estanisla-Davido-Quiwa Clan), by Landlee Quiwa

HISTORY OF THE LANTERN INDUSTRY : Its Contribution to the Local Economy and Tourism, Oct. 4, 2016, Makati City

http://www.mapabcdf.com.ph/documents/presentations/Countryside%20Development/Tourism,%20Travel%20and%20Homesteads/Lantern%20industry%20in%20San%20Fernando%20-%20Copy.compressed.pdf

Giant Lantern Website: http://www.giantlantern.ph/index.php/about/history

Thanks to: Ching Pangilinan, CSF Tourism, Ken Gardiner

66. 20 FUNERAL TRADITIONS & PRACTICES THAT KAPAMPANGANS OBSERVE

All Saints’ Day (Todos Los Santos on Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2) used to be 2 distinct observances until somehow, they merged as one. When campo santos (cemeteries) began being built outside of the town, folks found it convenient to divide their pious duties: Nov. 1 was devoted to grave visits while Nov. 2 was reserved for church rites. Death came early for Filipinos in the 19th century; life expectancy was just about 35 years. Life, was indeed precious, which was why, death was considered major rite of passage, with traditional ceremonies and post-mortem practices created around the inevitable.

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1.There were certain portents of death that old Kapampangan folks believed in: the appearance of a black moth, a dog digging up the ground for no apparent reason, the dreaming of a loss tooth, combing one’s hair at night. To avoid untimely deaths, one should neither position his bed towards the door nor join a picture-taking session if the number of subjects is either 3 or 13. If the toes of the dead curled inwards, beware of another impending death.

2.As soon as someone died in the neighborhood (indicated by loud wailing), neighbors knew exactly what to do next. Members of the grieving family were not allowed to do any work, and so the neighbors took over. There were no funeral services, no embalming, and so everything that needed to be done must be done quickly, before decomposition set in (burial must take place within 24 hours)

3.Early Filipinos believed in the mystical number 7, representing the 7 holes of the head. Our pre-colonial ancestors thus covered their dead’s faces with a death mask cut out with 7 holes. But Kapampangans also believed that an invisible 8th hole exists at the crown of the head of certain special persons, gifting them with the power to liaise between the dead and the living.

4.The deceased was laid on his bed decorated with hangings (black for an adult, white for a child). If the deceased did not own a bed, he was laid out on a mat (dase or banig) on the floor. A black cloth is draped in front of the house to signify a death in the household.

5.The grieving family would have nothing to do but stay beside the dead to weep (they had less than 24 hours to say their final good-byes). If they had to talk to visitors at all, it should be about the life and legacy of the departed.

6.Meanwhile, the teenagers stayed up all night to keep watch and guard against the magcucutud (or manananggal), the airborne supernatural creatures who stole corpses. They entertained themselves by playing card games like entre siete and pierde y gana or playing the traditional Kapampangan games of caragatan (or bugtungan) and talubangan (or bulaclacan), where the boys played butterflies to the girls' flowers.

7.There are certain no-no’s when a death in the family occurred. The family of the deceased were prohibited from bathing, cleaning the house or getting a haircut. The children of the deceased were not supposed to play; if they did, old folks warned, they'd go crazy. A dead should not be perfumed lest he decomposes faster.

8.Children and infants were carried across the coffin to prevent hauntings by the deceased. Taking out the deathbed through the window is another sure way to ward off ghostly encounters.

9.In Macabebe they still do tagulele, an ancient practice that the Bergaño dictionary defined as "the chant of lamentation during a person's wake or burial, relating the bravery of the deceased."

10.Any form of house cleaning is still prohibited during the wake, or another member of the family might also die. When the coffin is already being carried out of the house, however, it should be followed with sweeping of the floor, to drive away illness and bad spirits.

11.Some relatives must also stay behind and peep out of the windows as the coffin is being taken out. The deceased person's bed must be discarded by taking it out of the house through a window, to ensure his happiness in the next life and to prevent another death in the family.

12.The Church dictated the rituals associated with the dead and the dying. Back then, fees were being collected by unscrupulous frailes for walking the dead to his burial ground or for ringing the church bells a certain number of times. During a funeral procession, prayers were intoned at regular intervals called “posas”.

13.During the funeral procession, everyone (not just the family) should be in black and holding lighted candles. The widow and female relatives should wear sucong (long black veils). Rich families spend more to have a punebre (funeral band) and the parish priest accompanying the dead to the cemetery.

14.In those days when there were still no public cemeteries, the dead were buried in private properties, usually the backyard. A child's corpse was always buried neck-deep while a male adult's corpse only knee-deep, in the belief that the soul of older people needed to get out of this world more quickly.

15.When it was time for the dead to be buried, the coffin, as was the custom in old Mabalacat, was placed on a “lankayan”, a stretcher of bamboos, which was then carried on the shoulders of 4 persons. Shortly before burial, relatives younger than the deceased took turns kissing his hand, while the children were held up and passed to waiting arms across the coffin to prevent hauntings. Taking out the deathbed through the window is another sure way to ward off ghostly encounters.

16.Everyone threw in a handful of soil as the casket was lowered, but only the gravediggers were permitted to look at it. There was also the prevalent practice of burying a rosary with the dead, but it had to be cut first lest the dead became restless. (Death is the end of our physical life, but a rosary, in a chain form, is “endless”, so it also needs to be cut).

17.In the first two nights after burial, family and friends gathered around a makeshift altar inside the house to pray for the deceased, have bread, sweets and tea or coffee (nothing more), followed by merriment (more caragatan and talubangan).

18.On the third night, when the soul was believed to come for a brief visit, a seat would be reserved for him at the dining table where ash, instead of food, was put on his plate and covered with cacaricucha leaves. The soul would be pleased to see this and would reward his loved ones with a passing apparition or even clues to some hidden wealth.

19.From fourth to eighth nights, only bread, sweets and tea/coffee would be served again to those who participated in the prayer vigils, but on the ninth night (the uacas of the pasiyam), a big dinner was served. Groups of visitors took turns praying for the deceased before proceeding to the dinner table.

20.The period of mourning ends after a year—lukas paldas—and on this day, the black clothes worn by the bereaved family are finally replaced and kept in the baul. A pa-misa and a grand salu-salo cap this day, with everyone reminiscing about the past year and of the days with their beloved departed. Tears are wiped, laughter returns. Indeed, to everything, there is a season.

SOURCES:

Tantingco, Robby P. 'Death and Our Neighbors", http://robbypeanutgallery.blogspot.com/2010/11/death-and-our-neighbors.html

Castro, Alex. Kematen: A Time to Mourn/ Mourning Mortality, www.viewsfromthepampang.blogspot.com

42. 7 BEST HOLY WEEK DESTINATIONS IN PAMPANGA (aside from Cutud)

This week, all roads will surely lead to Cutud, and so for a change, why not avoid the madding crowd, take the road less travelled, and discover these little-known Holy Week events in Pampanga:

Photo courtesy of Ivan Anthony Henares

The PASYON SERENATA of Brgy. San Basilio in Sta. Rita (Holy Wednesday evening). You’ve heard the pasyon, you’ve heard the serenata, but I’m sure you haven’t heard the pasyon serenata, which is the Holy Week version of this unique Kapampangan fiesta spectacle. It’s a showdown between two brass bands and their respective choirs who try to outperform each other by chanting the pasyon to the tune of classical operas. They play all night long, one page at a time, until they finish the whole book. The sight and sound of betel-chewing barrio folks singing the entire history of salvation in Kapampangan and to the tune of Verdi and Puccini will blow you away. Despite their guegue it’s a performance worthy of a concert hall instead of some dusty road in a remote farming village.

Photo: Maleldo king Pampanga FB Group

The GRAND ASSEMBLY OF PENITENTS in Mabalacat City (Good Friday early morning).

It’s a scene straight out of a Cecil B. DeMille movie: hundreds, maybe thousands, of half-naked flagellants and cross-bearers in flowing red robes, brought together by sin and tradition, converge in the church patio for an orgy of suffering, self-mutilation and penance. The number of penitents makes you wonder if flagellation, like circumcision, is a rite of passage among boys in Pampanga. (It also makes you wonder why Kapampangans, usually vain, would want to lacerate their skin and flesh and disfigure their pampered bodies.)

Photo by Reuters

The CENACULO of Brgy. Lourdes in Angeles City (Good Friday late morning).

The passion play is performed by actors who I suspect are thugs, stevedores and butchers from the nearby Pampang market, because they chase the actor playing Jesus and beat him up with such realism and violence the poor guy often ends up in the local clinic. It even has a live crucifixion which tourists from Clark and Koreatown must pay an entrance fee of P200 to see.

Photo courtesy of Ivan Anthony Henares

The EXTREME PENITENTS (Maundy Thursday and Good Friday).

They’re all over Pampanga, but it takes luck to catch them—the cross-bearers who carry electric posts and huge banana trunks (seen in Brgy. San Agustin in Magalang), the women cross-bearers, the transvestite cross-bearers, the cross-bearers who tie a samurai around their waist with the tip pressed against their chin to keep their heads up, and the cross-bearers who are tied together to the same cross so that they can take turns carrying it (seen in Dau). In Brgy. Pampang, Angeles City I saw a cancer-stricken mother carrying a cross while her entire family prayed the rosary and followed her around. And then there are the dreadful magsalibatbat, who crawl on the road for miles, rubbing their skin continuously against the concrete until they’re all bruised and covered with dirt. Those who look for actual crucifixions can also try Brgy. Telapayung in Arayat, where they are more private and more heartfelt.

Picture courtesy of Jerry Punzalan Sagmit

The TANGGAL of Guagua (Good Friday).

This is the ritual where a life-size statue of Jesus with moveable neck and joints is taken down from the cross and laid down and dressed up to become the Santo Entierro (The Interred Christ). The town’s Velez-Zaragoza clan performs the elaborate ritual with the same care and solemnity as I imagine a family would prepare a departed member for burial. In the past, parish workers closed all church doors and windows and banged metal to simulate the eclipse and the thunderclaps that supposedly accompanied the Crucifixion, and to arouse the same fear and awe experienced by the Jews. Today, we just rely on the rhetoric and theatrics of the Sieta Palabras speakers.

Picture courtesy of Ivan Anthony Henares

The PASO of Bacolor (Good Friday).

The entire province quiets down as night falls on Good Friday, when parishes hold hushed processions of their heirloom santos, led by the Santo Entierro and the Mater Dolorosa. They’re all happening simultaneously: the candlelit carrozas of Arayat which transport you back in time, the sweet sound of violins playing Stabat Mater in San Fernando (added attraction: rose petals thrown from the balcony of the Rodriguez Mansion), the pomp, pageantry and piety of Sta. Rita reminiscent of Lino Brocka’s Tinimbang ka Ngunit Kulang, the breathtaking beauty of the Mater Dolorosa of Guagua, and the grandeur of the Santo Entierro of Sasmuan. But if you have to attend only one, make it Bacolor, the colonial capital of the province, whose old families, driven away by the lahars of the 1990s, make a sentimental journey back home to accompany their respective paso (float). Tradition dictates that they wear black, cover their heads with pointed hoods, hold icons of the crucifixion and walk barefoot (probably a legacy from ancestors in Seville, Spain). The antiquity and craftsmanship alone of the santos and their silver-plated carrozas will make your jaw drop.

Picture courtesy of Dr. Raymund Feliciano

The UNUSUAL BIYERNIS SANTO PROCESSION of Sasmuan (Good Friday)

Unusual because the grim procession of the dead Jesus and His grieving Mother is followed by a grimmer procession of magdarame (flagellants and cross-bearers). Sasmuan is the only place I know where this strange mix of the folk and the orthodox is allowed. Parish priests often make an effort to eliminate cultural practices to purify the theology of church rituals. For example, the pasyon mustn’t replace the Bible, the puni mustn’t compete with the visita iglesia, and the penitensya musn’t keep people away from the sacrament of confession. But Kapampangans have stubbornly stuck to their folk traditions, and the archdiocese is now finding ways to compromise.

This is Pampanga, where church piety collides with folk defiance, where the holiest days of the year are celebrated in the unholiest manner, where the charming and solemn rites of the Church coexist with the raw, bloody, but ultimately more exuberant rituals of the common folk.

First posted by Robby Tantingco on his facebook page, 21 March 2016.

ROBBY TANTINGCO is the Director of the Center for Kapampangan Studies and Vice President for External Affairs of Holy Angel University. He is the author of "Destiny and Destination" and "Pinatubo: The Volcano in our Backyard" which won a National Book Award. He also wrote the story of the film, “ARI: My Life with a King”, a language advocacy film that won Best Story and Best Screenplay awards from the 2016 Metro Manila Filmfest, Gawad Urian and FAMAS for Best Story.

41. DR. R. FELICIANO'S 14 FAVORITE LENTEN IMAGES IN PAMPANGA

DR. RAYMUND FELICIANO is a clinical pathologist who currently teaches pathology subjects at St. Luke’s Hospital in Quezon City. A resident of Angeles, his roots are in Mabalacat. He, however, is a doctor  with a unique passion. For over three decades now, he has been taking pictures of our Holy Week traditions--santos, religious processions, churches, Lenten exhibits--all over the Islands, from back in the days of analog photography to the age of digital cameras. 

A photography buff since his high school days at Chevalier School, Dr. Feliciano was inspired to travel  by watching Susan Calo-Medina’s TV show “Travel Time”.  He started in 1987, and began toting his instamatic cameras to interesting places where he took pictures of provincial scenes. But when he got hold of Ricky Jose’s book, “Simbahan”, he decided to focuse on religious subjects—and has not stopped since. The results of this lifetime undertaking are hundreds of santo photos compiled in over 50 albums and donated to the Center for Kapampangan Studies of Holy Angel University in Angeles City. 

After having seen thousands of processional santos, he has come up with a list of his 14 favorite, best-looking Semana Santa images that he shares with us, in this blog.

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The San Pedro statue of Lubao rides a spectacular carroza of the chariot-type. 

Arayat's antique "Manalangin" features a chalice-bearing angel dressed in short pants.

Angeles' "Macagapus" was carved in 1834 with Valentin Tuason as the original owner. It was passed on to his Nepomuceno heirs.

The Senor Desmayado  of Guagua was commissioned by one of the town’s leading citizens, Don Tiburcio Dyco. It was carved in 1882 by the accomplished sculptor, Sotero Dionisio Garcia of Quiapo, Manila.

The small Paciencia image of Guagua is owned by the Familia Cabrera and is a certified antique. 

Porac's Tercera Caida (Third Fall of Christ) comes from the Santa Catalina Parish of this old Kapampangan town, and is known for its complete, well-proportioned character images.

The antique image of Sta. Rita's La Veronica is owned by the Familia Pineda, a prominent family of the town, which also owns a Third fall of Christ paso.

"Macapacu Qng Cruz" or the Crucifixion is also known as Santa Misericordia. It was commissioned in 1907 by Dna. Francisca Evangelista. It was inherited by Leonora Panlilio, and passed on to her present descendants.

Angeleños take pride in their own “Apung Mamacalulu”, or the Lord of Mercy, depicting the image of the dead Christ. It was commissioned by Fr. Macario Paras between 1828-1838, carved by an artisan named Buenaventura.

The spectacular calandra of Sasmuan that contains the body of the dead Christ is owned by the Mercado family. 

Mabalacat's Sta. Maria Jacobe is an antique image that was transported to Pampanga from the Visayas, by a family member when he came to work here, where it was known as Sta. Salome.

The Sta. Salome of Angeles is a transformed image of La Veronica--which is equipped with two heads-- made in 1835 for Vicente Dison. It is still with the Dison descendants.

The antique image of Sta. Maria Magdalena of Arayat is from the prominent Santos-Medina-Samia family.\,who own a host of other processional images like San Juan and Santo Entierro.

The century-old San Juan of San Simon in Pampanga is a short, stocky image that is a fixture in the Good Friday procession of the town.

Hailed as one of the most beautiful Dolorosas in the country, the antique ivory Dolorosa of the Limson Family of Guagua.  Its earliest could be traced to Diego Limson (ca. late 1850s-early 1860s) who married Severina Jingco.

PHOTO SOURCES: 

Tercera Caida: Reichardt Dino, (flickr name: asky)

Paciencia: courtesy of Jerry Punsalan Sagmit

Magdalena: courtesy of Arwin Lingat, (flickr name: pampanga)

Dolorosa: courtesy of Dr. Dindo Limson Juco

Crucifixion, Sta. Jacobe: Alex R. Castro

All others: courtesy of Dr. Raymund Feliciano (flickr name: emongfeliciano)