Paciencia

The Paciencia, an ancient Cabuyao icon

This is an image of Christ after the violent scourging and crowning with thorns, as the Lord patiently endured the vile mockery of his Roman torturers. Thus, santeros and enthusiasts refer to the icon as the "Paciencia" or the image of the Christ of Patience. In Cabuyao, we have this image of ancient provenance, an heirloom that used to be under the care of the well known magdarasal, Aling Liling of Juan Luna St. I remember the old lady telling me once how she had a special attachment to her venerable poon which she said she cared for all her life with the utmost affection. She proudly declared how she kept the image in its original condition, resisting all advice to have it go through what santeros refer to as an encarna, a restoration process which many conservationists still view as a debasement of an heirloom piece.

An interesting side note is the moniker that old-time Cabuyeños had for the icon of the Paciencia - "Ang Kristong Nakaupo sa Bangkong Kakapus-kapos" or simply "Ang Kakapus-kapos". In fact, you can still hear some of the old folks refer to it by this name, if you pay attention and listen closely enough. So next time you chance upon the Christ of Patience this Holy Week, look at it it closely and see for yourself the reason for this Cabuyao Cristo’s delightfully charming nickname.