316 yrs of Bicolano devotion to ‘Ina’ is a parable of faith

By Rhaydz Barcia

No amount of obstacles dampened the spirit, faith and strong devotion of Bicolanos from all walks of life to Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia, as devotees waited patiently for the annual fluvial procession despite its historic adjustment to night-time due to extremely low water levels in the Naga River.

The night-time procession was held for the first time in its 316-year history after low tide and the effects of El Niño made it impossible for the pagoda to navigate the river during the day.

Couple Dhang, 30, and Moneil, 36, Sesgundo, together with their nine-month-old son, Zev Hendrix, from Barangay San Jose, Pili, Camarines Sur, were among the estimated 1.2 million devotees who thronged Naga City on Saturday to spend time with Ina on the final day of the nine-day novena and wait for the fluvial procession, which ended in the early hours of Sunday.

Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia is fondly called “Ina” by Bicolanos.

When asked why they brought their infant son to the celebration despite the risk of exposure to illness in the huge crowd, Dhang said that they wanted to express their gratitude to Ina for giving them Zev.

“We have been together for 12 years since boyfriend and girlfriend before our marriage. We are praying for Ina to give us a child. Luckily, our prayers were heard by Ina, and now we have baby Zev. We’re visiting her this fluvial with Zev, to say thank you for giving him to us. We are also introducing and passing our devotion to our son at a young age,” he said.

Dhang said she also prays every day for the good health and safety of her family.

The adjustment of the fluvial procession to nighttime, she said, was not a hindrance.

“We are here for Ina. Before, we're praying for Ina to have a baby and he was given to us. This is his (Zev) first time to join the Peñafrancia. We are praying for good health and our safety every day,” she said.

Former Guinobatan Mayor Christopher Flores of Albay, whose family has been devoted to Ina for generations, said no economic crisis or natural disaster could dampen the faith and devotion of Bicolanos.

Flores, the son of retired Court of Appeals Associate Justice Teresita Dy-Liacco Flores and Judge Emmanuel “Maning” Flores, said that their family has been devoted to Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia since their childhood.

“The devotion of the Bicolanos to Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia is even deeper in times of economic crisis and natural calamities, specifically that we are facing a prolonged El Niño. From my parents, I’m also passing our devotion to my children. Yearly, we stay in Naga with my family to honor Ina in a fluvial procession. We are all pilgrims of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia,” he said.

“But this year’s fluvial procession is different and the first time in history that it was held in the nighttime due to El Niño,” Flores said.

Fr. Francis Tordilla of the Cáceres Commission on Communications (CCOM) said the water level in the Naga River was so low that it was impossible for the pagoda to leave at 5 or 6 p.m. because it would not float.

“The situation is unusual right now; based on studies, water levels are extremely low this year, making it impossible to leave at 5:00 or 6:00 PM. It is quite strange—in my lifetime, this is the first time I have witnessed something like this,” he said.

Fr. Wilmer Tria, parish priest of St. Anthony Parish in Iriga City, Camarines Sur, also underscored the impact of El Niño on the Naga River.

In a Facebook post, Tria said El Niño had thinned the Naga River, forcing Ina’s pagoda to wait for the water that once carried her without hesitation.

“Dear devotees, the late start is itself a parable. El Niño has thinned the Naga River, so Ina’s pagoda must wait for the water that once carried her without hesitation. We stand in the Season of Creation, whose 2026 theme is Living Water. Pope Leo XIV has named neglect and destruction of the earth a sin against creation and against the Creator,” he said.

Tria urged the Church to pray for water, which he described as a gift from God and a right without borders, meant for every child and not reserved for those who can buy, monopolize or waste it.

“If the river is too shallow for the Virgin, it is also too wounded for the poor who drink from it, wash in it, and live along its banks. A fluvial procession that merely floats past garbage, silt, and sewage is devotion without conversion,” he said.

“The same river that bears Ina home must be kept clean enough to bear life. ‘Viva la Virgen’ cannot be only a shout for the mother of God. It must become a shout for the Mother of Creation: a promise that we will stop treating her waters as a dump and start treating them as a sacrament of God’s care for all,” he added.

“Tonight, as candles line a delayed river, let the wait become prayer: forgive us the sins that dry and dirty this stream. Then let the cry ‘Viva’ that follows the pagoda mean what it says: care for Ina, and care for life and the river that carries her,” Tria said.

After more than three centuries of devotion to Ina, pilgrims and devotees of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia experienced an unprecedented nighttime fluvial procession, waiting for hours despite uncertainty over whether the low water level would allow the pagoda to navigate the Naga River.

“History was made last night as an estimated 1.2 million devotees flooded Naga City for the first-ever nighttime Peñafrancia Fluvial Procession! Low tides and schedule delays couldn’t dim the spirits of the faithful. Instead, the Naga River was lit up by an unforgettable sea of devotion as Inâ and El Divino Rostro returned home. Truly, no river is too dry and no night is too dark for the Bicolano spirit,” the Naga City government said in a Facebook post.

The Naga River stretches approximately 2.8 kilometers and passes through 11 of the city’s 27 barangays. Tria said El Niño had thinned the river, forcing Ina’s pagoda to wait for sufficient water.

The annual fluvial procession of Our Lady of Peñafrancia is a profound expression of faith and devotion, accompanied by prayers, songs and the enduring devotion of Bicolanos.

The wooden image of Ina, believed by devotees to be miraculous, has been venerated in Naga City since the 1700s. Every year, pilgrims pass through an 11-meter-high arch dedicated to Our Lady of Peñafrancia as the Traslacion begins, marking the start of the nine-day novena.

Voyadores — barefoot men from all walks of life — carry the image during the procession, bringing it together with the image of the Divino Rostro from the shrine to the Metropolitan Cathedral.

On the ninth day of the novena, the third Saturday of September, voyadores bring the images of the Divino Rostro and Our Lady of Peñafrancia from the Cathedral to the Naga River for the hours-long fluvial procession, which ends at a dock near the Basilica Minore de Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia.

Photo caption: History unfolds as the first-ever nighttime fluvial procession of Our Lady of Peñafrancia is held in Naga City on Saturday after the Naga River’s water level dropped due to the effects of El Niño.