ILOILO City – The yearly Feb. 2 fiesta of Jaro district – one of the biggest in the country – is an opportunity for vendors to make some money.
They particularly sell the popular perdon candles at the century-old Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral.
The perdon is a candle one foot long and said to be a channel of divine graces.
Beginning in 2020, however, when the coronavirus pandemic struck, business slowed down. Few people were visiting the cathedral to hear Mass or pray.
Still, vendors are not losing hope. The perdon gives them confidence.
Perdon in Spanish means forgiveness, but the perdon candles are lighted not only for absolution but also for special intentions. It is associated with Jaro’s patron, Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria – the Blessed Virgin Mary holding a candle and the Child Jesus.
Cindy Cason of Barangay Benedicto, Jaro has been selling perdon candles for the past five years. Before the pandemic struck, she earned between P3,000 and P5,000 daily leading to the fiesta.
In 2020, her daily sales sharply dropped to just P1,500, she said.
“May nagabakal-bakal man biskan pandemic pero iba gid to ‘ya antes nag-abot ang COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019),” Cason told Panay News.
Aside from perdon candles, she also sells rosaries.
Jaro flower vendors are also feeling the pinch of the pandemic. Ramil Gallo of Barangay San Jose, Arevalo district has been selling flowers at the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral for two decades.
“May nagabakal man pero indi gid damo,” he said.
Gallo’s pre-pandemic daily sales were hitting P5,000. This plunged sharply to P1,000 since 2020.
But it’s better than nothing, he said.
“Subong daw pa-tsamba-tsamba lang ang mabakal,” said Mary Grace Quintar, also a flower vendor.
Vendors hope more people would visit the cathedral today even if, for the second straight year, the fiesta celebration will be scaled back dramatically.
This hope is rooted in faith. The Marian image of Nuesta Señora de la Candelaria perched on the balcony of the cathedral is widely believed to be miraculous.
Legend has it that the image was fished out of the Iloilo River in 1587. Even if only a foot tall then, it could not be lifted by a group of able-bodied fishermen — until they decided to bring it to Jaro. Through the years the image reportedly grew to its present size.
The glass-encased image of the Virgin Mary was crowned by Pope John Paul II during a papal visit in 1981.
Annually, prior to 2020, thousands of devotees here and abroad flocked the cathedral. The yearly highlight until the pandemic struck was the solemn afternoon procession participated by the fiesta queen and consort, fiesta princesses and consorts, various schools and the district barangays bearing religious banners, St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary, St. Joseph Regional Seminary, parish priests and assistant priests. Members of various church organizations also joined.
This year, however – just like last year – there will be no carnival (Jaro Agro-Industrial and Charity Fair), according to the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) of Jaro.
No fiesta queen will be crowned.
There will be no religious procession, according to Father Angelo Colada, director of the Archdiocese of Jaro’s Commission on Social Communications.
There would only be Masses today – a total of 21.
Eight of these Masses will be celebrated inside the cathedral on the following hours:
* 4 a.m.
* 6 a.m.
* 8 a.m. (Solemn Pontifical Mass with Jaro Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo)
* 10 a.m.
* 12 noon
* 3 p.m.
* 5 p.m. (Solemn Concelebrated Mass with Reverend Monsignor Cyril Villareal, Diocesan Administrator, Archdiocese of Capiz)
* 7 p.m.
The 13 other Masses will be at the grotto on the cathedral grounds.
Colada also said vendors won’t be allowed to sell perdon candles inside the cathedral compound. They can do so only outside the compound.
Physical distancing should be strictly observed, Colada stressed./PN
