THOSE who wish to undergo self-flagellation or crucifixion as their form of penance this Holy Week are at risk of getting ill, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona said illnesses such as wound infection and dehydration threaten penitents, especially if they do not employ precautionary measures.
Tetanus infection happens when bacteria penetrate into a cut or deep puncture wound while dehydration may occur when one is exposed to the sun for hours with little or zero fluid intake.
It has been a tradition in some parts of the country, particularly in Barangay San Pedro Cutud in San Fernando, Pampanga, to re-enact the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Some male Catholics are engaged in self-flagellation, where they prick or slice their backs before whipping them under the heat of the sun.
It is a common practice for those who crucified themselves and committed flagellation to bathe in the nearby sea or river believing it will make them heal faster.
Ona called for an end to such practices, saying it is better to pray hard and live a moral life.
Other Filipinos, meanwhile, take advantage of the Holy Week break to bond with friends and family in beaches.
The Manila City Government, however, discourages swimming in the Manila Bay because of its polluted state.
Coast Guard commandant Vice Admiral Rodolfo Isorena said it is the responsibility of the City of Manila to urge the public not to swim in the area but if it appears that they can’t control it at all, the agency will conduct seaborne patrol from time to time to ensure the safety of those people.
He also ordered the dispatch of roving patrol units from the Coast Guard Special Operation Group (CGSOG) personnel on board rigid hull inflatable rubber boats as well as some of the newly acquired aluminum boats from Holy Monday until Easter Sunday.
Isorena said that based on the assessment of water samples made by the Manila City Health Office together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the bay is highly infected with diarrhea-causing bacteria, an organism present in human and animal waste.
Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno has already proposed to the City Council to draft an ordinance that will impose bigger fines and imprisonment for those who will be caught swimming along the bay.
City Ordinance 3827, which prohibits swimming and other waterborne recreational activities across the bay, was passed in 1956 and imposes only a P200-fine for violators.
Isorena backed the proposal, saying the current ordinance was passed when the exchange rate was still at P2 a dollar. (HDT/John Carlo Cahinhinan/Sunnex)