There are two processions depicting the Passion and Death of Jesus during the Holy Week: the Passion Procession on Holy Wednesday which is famous for the images associated with Jesus' suffering on the way to Calvary and the Burial Procession on Good Friday which is the delivery of the "Santo Entierro" to the chosen resting place along with some other images of events in Jerusalem and characters in the Gospel. The procession every Good Friday in the town of Baliuag, Bulacan is one of the most revered features of the year for Catholics here. It became known for almost 100 processions of events and characters in the life of Christ which is recognized as the "longest Holy Week procession in the Philippines". This procession is a refreshing and solemn reflection of the salvation that took place through the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ. This procession is anchored and aligned according to the "Pasyong Mahal" which describes every scene in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ from his three-year ministry to his suffering during the first Holy Days. This holy procession was started by the Augustinian Missionaries who founded the Town in the year 1733 where it also served as a meditation and catechism method for Christians. For many decades this heritage tradition continued which can be traced to the increase in the number of carrozas participating in the procession. Good Friday begins with a visit to the old home of the Rustia family where for a year the venerated image of the town's Saint Entierro has been placed in His retablo. It is looked forward to because it is the only time to see the old poon. Only select men who are called 'Saints' are the ones who arrange the image before it is released at the gate of the Rustia family home. With full care and respect the Santo Entierro will be brought to the church to be nailed to an old Cross between two antique images of thieves San Dimas and Hestas. The carriages of Mater Dolorosa, San Juan and Sta. Mary Magdalene is also inside the Church as if standing at the foot of the cross on Calvary. The Poons will remain in the church during the "Seven Last Tongues" which ends at 3 pm. The image of the Lord will be lowered from the Cross and wrapped in a white cloth. This will signal the beginning of the Good Friday Procession. It is said that the oldest record about the procession of Baliuag can be seen on the carriage of "Angustia" a label engraved with 1863. So if this is the basis, it can be dated Santo Entierro which is the oldest poon in the procession in Baliuag from the late 17th century. This is also the used measure of the origin of the history of the Baliuageño procession. Through Bishop Leopoldo Arcaira in the late '60s, a project was started to enrich the Good Friday procession for the catechism of the faithful. Bishop Alcaira encouraged the families in Baliuag to make additional images and chariots that will show additional events in the Life of Jesus according to the Passion. This call was gladly answered and among the first large cartouches created were the images of the Last Supper followed by the Burns of Prayer in the Garden, Jesus' Presentation to Pilate. Later, other scenes of Jesus' agony from his carrying the Cross to his burial were also added. Bishop Alcaira started this successfully because later more families wanted to bring out a chariot. In order to allow other believers to have a part in the procession, permission was given by Msgr. Feliciano Palma, Msgr. Enrico Santos and Msgr. Andres Valera, during their tenure as Parish Priests, the release of scenes from the three-year ministry of Jesus. Currently, the number of the procession's carriages reaches one hundred and twenty-eight (128) and it takes six to eight hours from the preparation of the carriages in the afternoon of Good Friday until the carriage of the Mater Dolorosa returns to the Church. At the exit of Santo Entierro, the darkness of the night covered the whole town but the unique illumination of the lights from the chariots and the candles held by the believers could be seen. The simultaneous prayers of people while watching or joining the procession are also thundering. Undeniably, the town of Baliwag, now a City, is known as the most famous and longest procession in the entire archipelago. The constant increase of families wanting to release images and people joining the procession is a unique Bulakenyo heritage. This is also proof that the Catholic faith is alive and continues to flourish in the Diocese of Malolos. Written by: Mark James S. Evangelista, M.P.S., DCSC Research Team REFERENCE: Evangelista, Maricar. "Baliwag: Center of Trade in Bulacan in the Future." In the Sanctuary of the Church of San Agustin, 5. Town of Baliwag: San Agustin Press, 1992. Garcia, Marissa and Garcia, Churchill, Guardians of Agustia. Author Interview. Transcript and Recording, Baliwag, Bulacan, March 14, 2020. Mempin, Martha, Guardian of San Pedro. Author interview. Transcript and Recording, Baliwag, Bulacan, March 1, 2020. Ramos, Felicisima, Guardian of the Mater Dolorosa who is in procession every Holy Wednesday. Author interview. Transcript and Recording, Baliwag, Bulacan, January 12, 2020.
