The month of May in the Philippines is full of cultural festivities. Many Catholic feasts are being celebrated in this month and they have become parts of the Filipino Culture and tradition. As an atheist, I find nothing wrong with the people celebrating those feasts especially that these are parts of their religion and their upbringing. What I find wrong is when the Philippine government officially gets involved in those religious celebrations.

The most famous of these religious celebrations being observed in the month of May in the Philippines is the Santacruzan. The Santacruzan is a popular religious festival held in many towns and cities throughout the Philippines as the highlight of the month-long celebration of Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May) during the month of May. It is usually celebrated with a parade of decorated floats and elaborately dressed characters, representing various aspects of the Virgin Mary and other Catholic saints. The festival was introduced to the country during the Spanish period and continues to be celebrated by most if not all Filipinos.

According to popular religious legend, Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, went to Calvary 300 years after Christ's death to search for Christ's cross. At the site of the crucifixion, she unearthed three crosses, and had her sick servant lie down on each one. Upon touching one of the three, the servant was cured; this cross was determined to be Christ's. The anniversary of this discovery is traditionally celebrated on May 3rd. And the reminder of Saint Helena’s finding of the cross is commemorated in Santacruzan where a beautiful young woman holding a small wooden cross would portray Helena. The custom of the Santacruzan celebration started sometime in the year 1854 in the Philippinenes.

During the Spanish times, parish priests would choose sponsors from the daughters of wealthy families. These women would shoulder the expenses, plan the festival and decorate the church as well as the floats which would be used in the procession. Young women are chosen from among the townspeople to represent the various characters in the parade. Each woman is carried on a bamboo arch and escorted by a young man. The highlight of the parade is Queen Elena, representing Saint Helena whose discovery of the cross is commemorated by this feast. She is escorted by Prince Constantine, represented by a young boy. The floats are accompanied by a brass band. Occasionally, movie and TV stars and other celebrities join in and are featured as major muse and escorts. Devotees follow the parade, holding lit candles, reciting the rosary and singing songs of praise. After the evening mass, the town mayor hosts a dinner party.

Seeing how Filipinos celebrate the Santacruzan, it is very clear that this event is religious in nature. In fact, all Santacruzan processions start and end in churches. The Santacruzan festivity is definitely a ceremony sanctioned by the Catholic authorities in the Philippines.


The Philippine government is a secular government. In fact, the current Philippine Constitution which was ratified in the year 1987 states the following laws:

Article II, Section 6
The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable.

Article III, Section 5
No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and
enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or
preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be
required for the exercise of civil or political rights

It is very clear in Article II – Section 6 that any religious
laws, rituals and traditions should not have anything to do with the
current government’s official activities. And the next law, Article III
– Section 5 is one that reinforces the first law, but this time with a
stronger emphasis on the governments role on not promoting any religious
festivities.

Now let’s continue by citing some news articles that tell us how some government agencies and departments are breaking the rules of the secularization policy of the government. According to a news article from the Philippine Information Agency website, the Dumaguete City Tourism Office held a government sponsored Santacruzan Festival in 2012. According to the government tourism officer quoted in the article, the Tourism Office, which is a government office, and the City Tourism Council organized and sponsored a series of events that attracted tourists and visitors to come and be a part of the celebration. The celebrations mentioned in the article include religious rituals like Santacruzans. The said activities were synced with the religious events at a Church, including novena masses which were sponsored by the city government offices.
 

The Philippine Star Newspaper article dated May 15, 2013, reported that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) organized a number of Santacruzan festivals around the different PAGCOR establishments around the Philippines. PAGCOR is a government owned and controlled corporation that operates casinos around the country whose revenues help fund government projects.

The Sun Star Newspaper article dated May 17, 2013, reported that the Iloilo City Government and the City Tourism Council will jointly organize a Santacruzan procession on May 24. This religious procession, according to the report, will start from Iloilo Museum and will end in San Jose parish church in Iloilo. The event is expected to provide additional cultural tourism awareness on the annual celebration of the veneration of the Virgin Mary through offering of flowers.

Religious Filipinos may call a Santacruzan a part of the culture and tradition of the Philippines. They may even claim that the Santacruzan Festivities will help boost tourism in this country. As an atheist, I could say that Santacruzans are beautiful to watch.

And Catholics have the right and freedom to celebrate Santacruzan. In fact, I encourage the Catholics to continue celebrating annually this festivity as it is a few of the beautiful things left that the Catholic religion has to offer.
 

What I am opposing in the celebration of Santacruzan is the involvement of government agencies in commemorating this religious event. The constitution is very clear. The government should be a secular government therefore, it shall not be allowed for any government agencies to sponsor any religious activities. That means no government agencies should promote nor discourage the holding of any religious events like the Santacruzan

By Vladimir Atheistmov