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THE LADY OF PEÑAFRANCIA FESTIVAL /
ROBREDO'S MEMORY LINGERS IN NAGA


[PHOTO -A barge carrying the image of Our Lady of Penafrancia
passes through the river in Naga City during the patron saint's 300th
anniversary fluvial procession in 2010. Roy
Lagarde]
MANILA, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012 (GMA7) AMANDA LAGO - On
Friday last week, barely a month after the death of Interior and Local
Government Secretary and beloved ex-Naga mayor Jesse Robredo, devotees flocked
to the Basilica Minore in Naga to transfer the image of the Our Lady of
Peñafrancia, patroness of Bicol, to the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral for a
week-long novena.
It was time for the Traslacion, an integral part of Naga City's Peñafrancia
Festival.
Although the devotees have been doing this for years, there was something
different about it this year.
"Jess was sorely missed at the Traslacion," said Nagueño professor Paz
Verdades Santos, referring to Robredo.
The Secretary was en route to his hometown when the plane he was on crashed
off the coast of Masbate on August 18.
"There was a heavy downpour, but no one left his or her place in the
procession. Some said the skies were weeping because Jess wasn't there," Santos
added.
It was no secret that Robredo has been a devotee of the Our Lady of
Peñafrancia since he was a young man.
The festival

[PHOTO - The feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia is celebrated on the
third Saturday of September in Naga City, Bicol]
Naga City's Peñafrancia Festival is one of the country's biggest displays of
religious devotion, uniting Bicolanos of all ages and from all over the world in
devotion to their beloved "Ina" — Our Lady of Peñafrancia, patroness of Bicol.

This year marks the festival's 302nd anniversary.
According to the Peñafrancia Basilica website, the devotion to the Lady of
Peñafrancia originated from Salamanca, Spain in the 1400s, when hermit Simon
Vela had a vision of the Virgin Mary and later discovered an image of her in the
Peña de Francia mountains.
In the 18th century, the Cobarrubias family of San Martin de Castañar in
Spain came to the Philippines and settled in Cavite, bringing with them their
son Miguel, who was a devotee of the Lady of Peñafrancia, and who would
eventually be ordained in Naga.
According to the website, whenever the sickly Miguel fell ill, he prayed to
the Lady and recovered thereafter. In gratitude, he built a chapel in her name
near the hills, so that the Cimarrones tribes who lived at the base of Mt.
Isarog could easier hear mass.
At the same time, Miguel also commissioned a sculptor to craft a wooden image
of the Lady, patterned after the original in Spain. The image was painted with
the blood of a dog that was said to have become the Lady's first miracle when it
swam back to life after its body was discarded in a river. The image was stolen
in 1981, but returned — some say miraculously — the year later.
Everybody welcome

[PHOTO - THE FESTIVAL: ALL FOR THE LOVE OF
'INA']
Santos told GMA News Online via email that the festival's participants
include a colorful mix of people, "young, old, mostly Bikolnon from all over the
region, nation, world, but also other Catholic pilgrims who have a panata or
vow, usiseros—anyone who wants to, participates."
"The most obvious participants, because they are in uniform, are the clergy,
the students, and religious and civic associations, NGOs and POs," she added.

In the days that follow the Traslacion, novena masses are held daily in honor
of the Lady. As per tradition, at the end of the weeklong novena the image will
be returned to her shrine in a grand fluvial procession, which ends in a
Pontifical mass. This year's fluvial parade is scheduled for the afternoon of
Sept. 15.
"Foreigners, non-Bikols and non-Catholics might say there's some kind of
fanaticism in the procession, but I see it as an awesome display of faith and
fervor particularly in Ina," Santos said.
"I think this harks back to a more ancient God, God the Mother, since even
the image is a small black Madonna rather than the white images brought by the
Spanish friars," she explained.
The Black Madonna, according to Stephen Benko, author of "The Virgin Goddess"
which studies the origins of the Black Virgin, "is the ancient earth-goddess
converted to Christianity."
Santos also noted, "she has also been called Our Lady of the Cimarrones,
suggesting the image was used to get the hill tribes into the fold of the
Catholic Church." — BM/KG, GMA News
Robredo's memory lingers at Peñafrancia AMANDA
LAGO, GMA NEWS September 15, 2012 12:32am

[VIDEO - JESSE
ROBREDO'S WIDOW SPEAKS]
Naga City's Peñafrancia Festival is one voyador short this year without the
late Jesse Robredo among the crowd.

Every year since he was a young man, the politician now known for his
"tsinelas leadership" would go barefoot and join the sea of voyadores (devotees)
for the Traslacion, the event that kicks off Naga's Peñafrancia Festival.

"Nagsimula siyang maging devotee at 16," Robredo's wife, Atty. Leni Robredo
said in her first media interview after her husband's death.
"Fifty-four na siya. Walang paltos yun. Taon-taon kasama siya sa fluvial
procession. Tinuro niya sa pamilya ang devotion, pag-novena," she shared.

"Siguro malungkot ang piyesta na wala siya kasi permanent fixture siya pag
Peñafrancia," she said.

Meanwhile, in his homily at Robredo's requiem mass, Fr. Kulandairaj Ambrose
of the Missionaries of the Poor quipped, "Who is the other woman in the life of
mayor Jesse? Bicolanos' Ina, Our Lady of Peñafrancia. Viva La Virgen!"

Fr. Ambrose added, "I'm told that since the age of 16, Jesse has been a
devotee of Ina, year after year, without fail. I'm sure next month he will be
there with us for the Peñafrancia fiesta. Look for him."

True enough, Robredo was with the Bicolanos as they carried on with the
Peñafrancia festivities.

For instance, during Peñafrancia festivities, many donned shirts that bore
Robredo's image. Others also wore tsinelas, to pay tribute to Robredo's
leadership, which was condensed by Energy Secretary Rene Almendras in the image
of slippers in his eulogy to his colleague.

A group called the Jesse Robredo Lives Movement even participated in the
Civic Parade & Float Competition, and joined the parade bearing a large
banner printed with Robredo's face.

On the group's Facebook page, many Nagueños shared their thoughts on
Robredo's absence from this year's festivities.

"Jesse always attend traslacion...we just miss him around...and I'm sure he
misses INA during Traslacion too," said Bemboi Ragragio Badiola, who posted a
photo of this year's Traslacion, edited to include Robredo's face.

Meanwhile, Angel Dialogo Israel replied, "true, Jess may have missed the
traslacion but not Ina, for he is now with her and her Son sa 'mas maogmang
lugar.'"

As Nagueño professor Paz Verdades Santos had described the festival's
Traslacion, "There was a heavy downpour [at the Traslacion] but no one left
his/her place in the procession; some said the skies were weeping because Jess
wasn't there." — ELR, GMA News
Jesse Robredo aide visits boss' tomb September 16,
2012 9:29am 01

Nearly a month after a fateful plane crash killed Interior Secretary Jesse
Robredo, his aide visited his tomb in Naga City over the weekend.
A report on "24 Oras" said Senior Inspector June Paolo Abrazado and his
family went to the tomb of Robredo and offered prayers for his boss.
Robredo and two pilots of a Piper plane heading for Naga City from Cebu
perished when the plane crashed off Masbate last Aug. 18.
A separate report on dzBB radio Sunday said this was the first time Abrazado
appeared in public, though he left the tomb shortly after the visit.
He also declined to give a statement on the fateful plane crash. Abrazado
wore a black shirt with an image of Robredo printed on it.
Abrazado said some of his injuries had healed.
The report also said he later joined the fluvial parade in honor of Our Lady
of Peñafrancia. — LBG, GMA News


Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved




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