Vantage Point

Warning: some might find the following images gory or violent, please exit the page if you’re sensitive to these kinds on images. - The Author

I’ve been wanting to witness this event since 2005, the re-enactment of of Christ’s crucifixion which is happening every Good Friday in Bgy. San Pedro Cutud in the City of San Fernando in Pampanga.

It has been more than 50 years since this tradition started, although the actual crucifixion was only witnessed in 1962, the Via Crucis has been going on since 1955, the play was written by a local amateur playwright named Ricardo Navarro.


It was my first time to go to San Fernando, Pampanga but I passed by the place several times, once when I visited the Province of Bataan. It was amazing that it only took our bus 1 hour from Pasay, how I love to travel during the holidays. During a normal working day, it’ll take about an hour just to pass EDSA.

I didn’t fear being lost, the festival is well-known & the locals will (specially in the transport sector) be willing to assist or direct anybody, just like what happened to us, we were brought by a tricycle driver to the site for a prize.

Exhausted & almost got burned due to the sun’s wrath, we waited for each flagellants to arrive at the crucifixion site where the bow for prayer to end their sacrifice.

At around 3PM when the Via Crucis participants arrived at the site, the play was written in Capampangan & listening was not in my list of “to-do’s” I just concentrated in taking photographs.

I never had a good vantage point, umbrellas were flying around which made me more frustrated being trapped in the back. It looks that my 300mm range was not good enough, some photographers were able to get the so-called media pass & they were placed in a media box just in front of the stage.

I felt that I lost most of my body fluids after the event, that’s not all, going out of the place is another problem, in my conservative estimate, more than 10,000 people were there to witness the event. Just imagine how hard it can be. Will I visit Cutud again next year? Maybe not, there’s more area to discover & it’s good to experience what San Pedro Cutud has to offer.

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