Communications Officer
Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.
Tel. no. (63 32) 418 7234 loc. 504
Email: Haidee.Emmie.Palapar@rafi.org.ph
Prayer is best way to celebrate Sinulog
The Feast of Sto. Niño on Jan. 15 is full of festive food, overflowing drinks, and street
parties. But nothing beats a solemn prayer to celebrate the day, according to two Sto. Niño
devotees.
Gloria Enclonar, who has been a devotee since she was 19 years old, said that beyond
the food and the dances, people must remember prayer as still the best way to thank the Holy
Child.
"Prayer is still the best gift for Sto. Niño and the best way to celebrate. For me, I would
complete the novena masses every year even under threats of a storm," she said in Cebuano
during the Pagtuki episode last Saturday.
Pagtuki is the radio program of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), which airs every
Saturday, 10-11 a.m. at dyLA.
Enclonar said that she personally experienced the miracle of the baby Jesus when she
was 35 years old. The doctor had informed her of her difficulty to get pregnant. A believer in the
power of prayer, Enclonar asked Sto. Niño to grant them even just one child.
Now, she and her husband are raising their three biological children.
For Julia Maru, another Pagtuki guest who has been battling breast cancer for three
years, the miracle of Sto. Niño is manifested through the love and support of her family.
She continues to encourage her three sons to celebrate the Sinulog by attending the
novena masses.
"My Sinulog will be complete when I attend mass and give thanks to Sto. Niño. For me,
prayer is most important of all our Sinulog activities," she said in Cebuano.
Karl Damayo, exhibitions and museum collections officer of the Casa Gorodo Museum
of RAFI, said that Sinulog is really intended for giving thanks to Sto. Niño.
"The Vatican acknowledges the Sinulog as a prayer through a dance. There are only two
dancing prayers recognized by the Vatican. The other one is in Spain," he said.
