Provinces offer Holy Week attractions for devotees

Creative attractions across the Philippines are a draw for devotees this Holy Week.

According to a 24 Oras report by Dano Tingcungco on Tuesday, devotees in Bataan may visit installations depicting the Passion of Christ around the province.

The colorful installations are made of buho, bamboo and cloth, and are decorated with lights.

The installations can be found along several roads in Bataan and are part of their efforts for the reading of the Passion of Christ.

The Stations of the Cross can also be found underneath operating wind turbines inside a wind farm in Burgos, Ilocos Norte.

In Pasuquin, devotees can meditate and pray in silence while climbing up a hill to visit the Stations of the Cross.

A summer youth camp and recollection area at a beach resort in Badoc also offer a religious pilgrimage and a vacation at the same time.

“May beach na, may chapel na, meron pa kaming hotel [There’s a beach, a chapel, and we also have a hotel]. It’s a perfect place to drop by and visit!” said barangay health worker Ermelyn Balbas.

Meanwhile, people trying to avoid the influx of tourists at the beach have traveled to the Lumampao Viewdeck in Cuenca, Batangas to take in the beauty of Taal Lake.

“Babalik-balikan po ‘yung lugar kasi maganda siya sa pakiramdam, nakaka-relax po,” said tourist Jem Merano.

(We come back regularly to the area because it feels nice, relaxing.)

“Nakaka-presko gawa ng pagod po eh. Nakakakita ng magandang view, kaya masaya,” added biker Mychael Lora Enriquez.

(It’s refreshing because of the tiredness. You can see a beautiful view, so it’s fun)

Mount Maculot in Cuenca was also named as a hotspot for pilgrims and mountaineers during the Holy Week, but it remains closed due to ongoing maintenance. — Jiselle Anne C. Casucian/BM, GMA Integrated News