3 big Lenten events lined up in Intramuros

DOT Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo together with the agency’s Faith Tourism Sector announced that seven spots in the Walled City composed of chapels and churches will be open to public on March 29 to welcome pilgrims who want to take part in a Visita Iglesia. (Photo By Richard Relucio – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)

MANILA — As Lenten season approaches, the Department of Tourism (DOT) is lining up three major activities for Catholics who are in Metro Manila, with Intramuros area as the focal destination.

On Thursday, DOT Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo together with the agency’s Faith Tourism Sector announced that seven spots in the Walled City composed of chapels and churches will be open to public on March 29 to welcome pilgrims who want to take part in a Visita Iglesia.

General Luna St. will be designated as an exclusive zone for pedestrians and Via Crucis pilgrims.

DOT said the 14 stations of the cross or the Via Crucis would be set up on the stretch of Beaterio to Muralla Streets from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday, March 29 to 30.

Last of its events will be the traditional Senakulo or the reenactment of the Passion of Jesus Christ, to be staged on Maundy Thursday by Tanghalang Sta.

Ana Theater ensemble under the direction of Lou Veloso.

From previous statistics, about 500,000 pilgrims and tourists flock to Intramuros every Lenten season.

DOT said the trend is expected to increase as faith tourism now is surfacing as one of the agency’s emerging niche market.