Devotees consider the sacrifice made by climbing the long step way on Mount Vulcan in Camiguin Island would bring them more blessings in the months ahead. Photo by Erwin Mascarinas, InterAksyon.com.
For years I’ve been fascinated by stories and the idea of people from different parts of Mindanao going to Camiguin Island to fulfill what some may call as panaador a religious promise. For some, it is a way a of penance or repenting from one’s sin by means of trekking the entire island, walking along it’s coastline while praying and reciting the Way of the Cross.
Young locals start their early morning Panaad journey passing by the coastal road of Barangay Benoni in the town of Mahinog. Photo by Erwin Mascarinas, InterAksyon.com.
Others make the journey more fulfilling by ending the trek with a climb from the foot of Mount Vulcan—one of the seven volcanic edifices on the island—towards the walkway where people pray and recite the Stations of the Cross along the lifesize statue’s depiction of the Passion of Christ.
Hikers gets a taste of the scenic view that surrounds Camiguin's coastal area in the province capital of Mambajao. Photo by Erwin Mascarinas, InterAksyon.com.
Back in 2010, when I first visited the island, I didn’t pay that much attention to the hikers when I walked past them. This time it was different, I witnessed hundreds of people walking the entire stretch of the island for more than nine to as long as 16 hours covering five municipalities.
According to most of the islanders and devoted Catholics who had walked the island several times over the last few years, the experience has become less religious and more recreational. Most of the young hikers are just doing the walk for fun and to claim bragging rights that they had conquered the trail.
Catholic devotees say their prayers at one of the Stations of the Cross while ascending the steps of Mt. Vulcan in Camiguin Island. Photo by Erwin Mascarinas, InterAksyon.com.
Some don’t even bother to stop at the prepared Way of the Cross, which stretches along the 64-kilometer coastal road of the island. While other people skip the long island walk and just directly go to the volcanic walkway in a hurry to spend more time on sight seeing and on the beach.
As night falls, several hiker's takes a moment at one brightly lit of the Stations of the Cross in the town of Sagay. Photo by Erwin Mascarinas, InterAksyon.com.
But for those who are really in the island to fulfilling their vows, it was a sacrifice worth taking. At each station, people lit candles and said their prayers as they conquered the intense heat of the sun or otherwise the sudden outpour of rain. Majority of the high school and college students chose to walk at night when it’s cooler. Meanwhile, water stations and small mid-shift stores prepared by residents kept their doors open for 24 hours to provide nourishment and to serve as pit stop to hikers.
Surrounded by the darkness of the night, a boy lights his share of candle offering for the Panaad at one of the Stations of the Cross. Photo by Erwin Mascarinas, InterAksyon.com.
Most may have walked the entire length while a few, especially the elderly, preferred to ride while still hoping to take part in the religious event. Bicycle groups, motorcycle clubs, and those who brought vehicles from the mainland took their share of Panaad, the same way I did while riding on the back seat of a motorcycle the entire time.
The next day more hikers are seen on the streets around the island, like this one in the town of Guinsiliban. Photo by Erwin Mascarinas, InterAksyon.com.
The three volcano known to locals as "Tres Marias" provide a scenic background to the hikers passing by the bridge in Catarman town. Photo by Erwin Mascarinas, InterAksyon.com.
Well, who said riding is not allowed? After all, each devotee journeyed through different means to fulfill his sacrifice and promise to God, a promise to come back again for the Panaad.
Light from the candles illuminate the people reflecting before the life-sized statues that represent the passion of Christ. People continued to arrive late in the evening to say their prayers in Mount Vulcan. Photo by Erwin Mascarinas, InterAksyon.com.
