Buhing Kalbaryo to go on amid humps

CEBU, Philippines —  For 22 years of staging Jesus Christ’s last few hours before he died, the annual Buhing Kalbaryo still follows the original script but with some modifications.

The Buhing Kalbaryo, which began in 1997, is a play about the passion and death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. The annual event serves as a way for Cebuanos to express their faith.

“Unya ang mga kinabuhi sa buhing kalbaryo naa sa mga kaubanan. Unya without faith and God's presence, di jud possible na maabot kini ug 22 years,” said Michael Rama, former Cebu City mayor and is now running for vice mayor.

The play will start at the San Nicolas Parish at 10 a.m. on Good Friday. This will be followed by the staging of the stations of the cross. The stations of the cross will be strategically situated from Pahina San Nicolas to Calamba and Guadalupe.

However, the production team has faced a few humps in this year’s staging of the event.

For one, securing all the permits needed for the activity was a struggle.

Another challenge is the budget.

Rama said that they have to be frugal in this year's play as their budget is just a little over P200,000. The budget would be needed for the props, costumes and manpower.

“We must proceed with the Buhing Kalbaryo with being reasonable, just and frugal,” Rama said.

There are also issues when it comes to coordination with the government as politics is allegedly involved.

“Our coordination with the government medyo tight karon. We already have the approved permit.  Before man gud the process was easy, now was a bit of a challenge,” Project Director Neil Odchigue said.

“Because of the perseverance of all the members, na-overcome ra man sya [challenges],” he said.

From the 30 cast members when it started, this year’s Buhing Kalbaryo consists of 130 members.

Odchigue said the expected numbers for spectators ranges from 7,000 to 8,000 people.

“Among giawhag ang mga kaigsuonan na mopadayon mosuporta ug motanaw sa atong usa ka dula mao ang Buhing Kalbaryo sa ika 22 na tuig. Na karon ipadayon gihapon nato pinaagi sa talento ug pasundayag ni Kristo ug mga sakripisyo na iyang giagian,” Odchigue said. — Raizza Aliviado, USC Intern GAN (FREEMAN)