A Ritual of Faith: The dwindling flagellants of Infanta

In the town of Infanta, Quezon, around 5 hours trip east of Manila, self flagellation is an age old practice that has been performed by men of this town and no one can tell when this started. Practitioners, do it as a petition or supplication in the form of a panata or vow, sworn for a fixed period of years. It is intended for the healing of a sick relative or a member of the family or, in many instances, as a spiritual investment in the hope that God will grant grace or blessing for the family as well as protection from harm and misfortune.

The practice here is unique when compared to those done in the rest of Luzon because of the elaborate costumes that these men don. The outfit consists of a skirt, called a saya made from dried banana leaves, a flog called the panyabat, tipped with wooden pegs and a floral headdress called the tukarol. According to studies, parts of the costume were buried before in fields for abundant harvests but now, this agricultural connection is no longer observed.

In the 1950s, as much as 300 men perfomed this ritual. By 2009, only around 30 were to be found.