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| In Mogpog town a few penitent morions are still seen quietly practicing their Holy Week panata. This photo was posted today on Facebook courtesy of Virgen delos Remedios with the following description: "Patuloy ang Panata sa Bayan ng Mogpog kung saan nagsimula ang MORYONAN ! (Ang mga morion ay nasa labas lang ng kanilang mga tahanan upang ipagpatuloy ang kanilang panata)" |
BOAC, Marinduque, Philippines — Months ahead of this year’s
Holy Week, Mark Montevirgen already had his new set of Morion costume ready. He
had ordered a mask with a custom-made body armor of an ancient Roman soldier
for the Lenten parade in Marinduque province.
But Montevirgen was caught in the lockdown that prevented
him from going home to Boac, the provincial capital.
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| Today's lonely morions in the deserted streets of Mogpog. Courtesy of Virgen delos Remedios |
So far, with four cases of the new coronavirus disease
(COVID-19), Marinduque had shut its door to tourists and even returning
residents since the “enhanced community quarantine” in Luzon was imposed last
month.
On Wednesday, the provincial government decided to cancel
the popular religious tradition to prevent the spread of the virus on the
island.
First time since war
The streets of Boac, normally busy with foreign visitors at
this time of the year, are now quiet and empty. Houses are shut and lodging
facilities unoccupied.
It was the first time, except during World War II, that
there would be no Moriones (a few still quietly roam the streets and practice social distancing as shown in photos here - blogger), an ancient rite that dates back to 1800s and a major
tourist come-on of the island, said provincial tourism chief Gerry Jamilla.
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| A few morions in Boac still quietly make their presence felt but practice social distancing. Over the traditional wooden mask this one makes a point by wearing the now familiar face mask versus the coronavirus. Photo: ctto with the following caption on Boac Town Updates FB: LUNES SANTO - Abril 06,2020/ Walang Parada/ Walang Pulutong ng mga Sundalong Romano/ Walang mga Tambol/ Walang mga Turista/ Pero TULOY ang pamamanata ng ilang Moryon sa Bayan ng BOAC, Marinduque. |
“We were actually thinking maybe we could still allow people
to parade individually—wear your costume, walk outside your house, then go back
home,” Jamilla said.
“But we thought that might only encourage people to
congregate,” he added.
Randolf Olympia from Boac also felt sad about missing
Moriones, which he and many others considered a vow or a way of penitence.
Moriones is observed across six towns of Marinduque by
wearing a Roman soldier’s headgear during the procession. Its highlight is the
“pugutan,” or the reenactment of the beheading of Longinus, the Roman soldier
who speared the side of Christ, held on Easter Sunday.Beyond rites
“A lot of Morions are asking me about it. I just said maybe
there are other ways to keep our vow,” said Montevirgen, who is also a leader
of Kapatirang Morion ng Marinduque para kay Kristo.
The Catholic Church supported the government’s call to
cancel the Moriones. Boac Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr. said one’s
devotion “goes beyond the rites.”
But Maralit said Lenten Masses would push through and would
be streamed live on the internet, as well as on local television and radio
stations, especially for those in remote communities.
On Palm Sunday, he said, village officials would be given
palm fronds “blessed” by the church for distribution to every household.
