Religious Groups Slam "Viva Naga"

Lay religious groups in Naga City have criticized the local government for its "bad faith" in sponsoring activities which have been agreed upon earlier to be "demeaning and disrespectful" to the celebration of the Peñafrancia Fiesta.

In an open letter to City Mayor Jesse Robredo, lay leaders expressed their objection to the his adminsitration's approval and sponsorship of activities like pageants and drinking fests which are part of the city's "Viva Naga, Viva Bicolandia" festival.

The letter cites that "moral grounds" have deemed such activities to be banned during the novena week and that the City government's decision to implement these activities constitutes "bad faith" given that an agreement with the local Church had already been made.

Presidents of the Archdiocesan Council of the Laity, Apostleship of Prayer, Our Lady of Peñafrancia Association, Holy Name Society, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Mother Butlers' Guild, Parish Renewal Experience (PREX), and Children of Mary and Visita Domiciliaria were among the signatories of the letter.

Others who signed were the Director of the Couples for Christ, the president of the Barangay Pastoral Council of Bagumbayan Sur, and members of the Knights of Columbus.

The groups particularly objected to the staging of 16^th Pretty Boy Bicolandia Pageant on September 12; the 4^th Munting Mutya ng Bicolandia Pageant on  September 13; That's My Boy Bicolandia, That's My Boy Naga City Pageant on September 14; Miss Gay Young Bicolandia on September 16; and  Mr. Young Bicolandia Pageant on September 18.

Moreover, they expressed dismay at the so-called "Ginebra Night" on September 19 which would promote "public intoxication."

All of the said activities are scheduled during the novena week of the Peñafrancia devotion which begins on September 11 and ends on September 20.

In their letter, the leaders of the religious groups stated their vehement opposition to "the preparation of the calendar of activities that disrespects the sanctity of the Holy Mass and the spiritual value of confessions and processions by presenting them as mere additional events in a Viva Naga, Viva Bicolandia festival."

They demanded from Robredo that "those involved in the conceptualization, approval and implementation of these activities be made accountable for having violated a bilateral agreement that states that 'pageants, street parties and beer plazas are no longer features of Peñafrancia Fiesta.'"

The lay leaders also lamented the fact that the approved activities of the City government "were made known only when the Viva Naga, Viva Bicolandia Festival [had] already begun," hereby breaking their trust that the agreement between the Robredo Administration and the Archdiocese would be respected.

Judge Freddie Balonzo, President of the Mother Butler Mission Guild, admonished that "we must be faithful to the agreement."

Meanwhile, the president of the Apostleship of Prayer, Judge Novelita Llaguno, urged that "the process of purification [of the celebration of the Peñafrancia Fiesta] must be completed."

The religious groups also sought transparency in the manner in which activities supposedly aligned to the celebration of the Peñafrancia devotion were approved by the City government.

Earlier this year, Mayor Robredo appointed a Tricentenary Executive Committee consisting of city officials to dialogue with invited representatives of the Archdiocese to discuss and determine the activities to be allowed during the week of Peñafrancia novenario.

The dialogue was prompted by the Archdiocese's recent criticism of commercialization of the Fiesta being abetted by Robredo's administration.

The joint agreement which resulted from the dialogue stipulated that street parties, pageants, beer plazas previously allowed by the City government were detrimental to the devotion and were to be banned.