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Manaoag to become pilgrimage city

MANAOAG, Pangasinan (July 9) — The famous image of the Nuestra Señora de Manaoag has made local authorities clamor for the town’s proclamation as a “Special Pilgrimage City”.

Councilor Kim Amador, Committee on Tourism head at the Municipal Council said, “To boost our town as a major healing and religious center in the North, we have asked President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to endorse the proclamation of our town as a “Special Pilgrimage City” by the Department of Tourism (DoT).”

“We are implementing new a traffic scheme to ease visitors during peaks of pilgrimage season and uniform stalls in a commercial lane for vendors” he said.

Recent estimates indicate that close to 900,00 visitors troop to the town on peak months March to June.

“People from all over the country and even abroad have been going on pilgrimages to pay homage to Our Lady who has been credited for countless favors,” said Amador.

But their appeal for the town’s proclamation as Tourist Zone which started with Resolution No. 24 in 1999 and No. 12 in August 2004, has not resulted significantly.

Rev. Fr. Domingo Nacion, church historian said, “Due to the influx of many devotees from other towns to Manaoag, many of the resident parishioners either remained spectators, or that they felt neglected by the church. A certain percentage simply relied on customs and traditions without understanding what they are doing.”

“The faithful have not developed their talents, remained slaves to their credulity and became timid to explore the depths of the Catholic faith because of the authoritarian spirit of the church,” he said.

“The parish of Our Lady of Manaoag has played an important role in calling her faithful children to feel the reality and truth of the promises of our Lord,” he added.

The Dominican celebration recently has conducted a special evangelization program in every barangay he said adding: “This program has started in March and will culminate in December. On afternoon of Fridays, the image of Our Lady of Manaoag is brought to the scheduled barangay and stays there until afternoon of Saturday. On top of these, a group of evangelizers does the catechesis in a way easily understood by the people.”

“People then have the chance to be with Our Lady”, he said.

In the activities, old and sick parishioners are being attended to as well. “We give the sacrament of the sick and prayers for healing and an opportune occasion to look into their social conditions,” he said. # Jhong dela Cruz for NORDIS

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