Exodus

De uittocht is begonnen. De mensen worden op TV opgeroepen om er vooral voor te zorgen, dat ze vier uur voor de vertrektijd op NAIA-airport zijn. Het busstation van Araneta is overvol. Meer dan 15000 mensen vertrekken daar vandaag naar familie en vrienden in de province. Bepakt en bezakt met kerstkadoos. De verwachting is dat het aantal de komende twee dagen nog zal toenemen. De bezineprijs is gedaald en dat helpt ook mee. Een liter benzine kost omgerekend ongeveer 1 euro.Vele tientallen duizenden Filipino's verlaten de vier districten en 17 steden van de National Capital Region.
Voor het overige bereidt het land zich voor op het bezoek van Paus Franciscus, dat van 15 to en met 19 januari aanstaande plaats zal vinden. In mijn 'Sketches of the Philipines' staat het volgende stukje over geloof en religie op de Filipijnen.

Faith plays an important role in the life of almost all Filipinos. Less than 1% of the population is atheist or agnostic. Without any doubt for the Roman Catholic Church the Philippines is a stronghold. More than 90% of the population is Christian. In January 2015 Pope Francis will visit the country and I am quite sure it will feel like coming home to him. Millions of people will cheer at him as if he were a pop-star. The influence of the Church goes back to the Spanish occupation that started in 1521 and lasted until 1898. Also the countries name refers to that period, because it is named after the Spanish King Felipe (Philip) II.

Jaime Cardinal Sin (what’s in a name?), for quite some years the archbishop of The Philippines, played an important role in the two people’s revolutions in 1986 and 2001 that overthrew the regimes of Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada (by the way nowadays still the Mayor of Manila). Sin once said: “We got rid of Ali Baba (Ferdinand Marcos), but the forty thieves remained.” This still might be an accurate description of the (political) situation in the country.

The Philippines not only have political dynasties, but also a religious one. In 1914  ‘Iglesia Ni Cristo’ (INC) was founded by Felix Manalo. 2014 was officially declared by the government the centennial year of  INC.  This shows the huge influence of INC on the countries politics. The third generation Manalos is in charge now in the person of Eduardo V. Manalo. Traveling in the country you will immediately notice the churches of INC, compared to which those of the Church of Rome look as ruins. The latest achievement of INC is the Philippine Arena, the world’s largest multi-purpose indoor accommodation, with a capacity of 55.000 people, which was officially inaugurated on July 21th 2014. Not a common project for a religious group, but it is an example for the still strong interrelation between Church and State.

Another example of the importance of religion in the Filipino society is the procession of the Black Nazarene, the largest procession in the country. It takes place on January  9th and on Good Friday through the streets of Quiapo, a small part of metro Manila.

The procession dates from the 17th century. Thousands of men parade barefoot through the streets with the life-sized, black wooden statue of Jesus (of Nazarene). The event is attended by millions of people and everybody wants to touch the statue.

On their Facebook pages my Filipino friends on a regular basis post messages and pictures in which they put their future and that of their country in God’s hands. Everything happens for a reason. If one door closes, another one opens. God knows what is good for you. You just have to trust Him. Visit a church on Sundays and there is a good chance that you will have to attend the mass standing outside. I am convinced that faith, religion and the organizations that incorporate them, offer comfort to a lot of people. The question is how sustainable this will be, once the country’s and people’s wealth will increase?