Ina

This year’s Penafrancia Celebration is the grand culmination of the 3-year preparation for the Tercentenary which started last September 2007. Each year since then, there have been themes for the yearly celebration. Year One had “Remembering the Gift of the Devotion to Ina” as the theme, this was dedicated to revisiting the history of the devotion in view of a deeper understanding of the same devotion. Year Two, the theme was “Renewing the Faith through Ina” dedicated to appreciating the devotees’ giftedness towards a more vibrant and relevant faith life and Year Three’s theme is “Sharing the Future in Hope” dedicated to envisioning the future with the intent of sharing the fruits of the devotion to the next generations. Come September 2010, the church in Bicol will celebrate in thanksgiving the grace of 300 Years of Devotion. The over-all theme of the celebration is “A Gift received, a Gift to share”.


Naga City has been unofficially dubbed as the “Marian Capital of the Philippines” and whether official or otherwise, there is no doubt that our Ina, Our Lady of Penafrancia, had transcended the faith of the Bicolanos and believers into a more profound commitment to faith and the Catholic Church. Wherever and whichever part of the world Bicolanos may be, the devotion to our Ina has always been strong and binding, this devotion, most would say help them to be resilient in the realities of the unforgiving world. Thanks to our Ina.


I started my own devotion to Ina back in my early College days. My friends, Elmer and Emer (Kambal) would make it a necessity to joint the Penafrancia Procession as Voyadores. In my first year as a Voyador, I never thought I could reach Ina’s Andas and touch her, the crowd (other Voyadores) were very unruly, strong (and drunk) compared to my youthful tiny muscles then, but in God’s Grace and intervention, the three of us reached the summit of the procession.


I joined Kambal for a couple of years in our “panata” for Our Lady Penafrancia, but on the fourth year I had to work in Manila and temporarily cease from pursuing our “panata”. The guys continued with theirs while I joined them in spirit from the workplace.


In 2008 I was back. This time, my partner Kambal and I decided to take it our “panata” to another level. Instead of joining the procession at the streets, we decided to join the Fluvial Procession as boatmen who would pull Ina’s Pagoda from Tabuco Bridge to the Basilica Shrine. This process is the most challenging process and hundreds of boatmen and standby swimmers are putting all their efforts together to get the Pagoda moving. No mechanical intervention, just pure paddle & muscle synchronization. We have been proud boatmen for two years now and we are preparing for another boating experience in honor of Ina come September.