Lent in the summer of 2025 in Bicol

People, in droves, have begun to flock to beaches and spring resorts to spend their whole Lenten days away from their homes. A friend, Fr. Allan of a local parish in Camarines Sur, laughs at the idea that Lent, especially towards Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, has come to mean one long holiday for the family. It becomes a perfect excuse to get together in a hideaway out of town to escape the hot temperatures and highest heat indices usually logged in late April and May. Who would not toy with the idea that after the devastation of #Kristine last October, we now deserve a break to be with the family and feel safe and happy on a holiday?

Lent this year, which began on a Wednesday last March 5, is by far the hottest. It coincided with the peak of the summer season, and if we believe Pagasa forecasts, heat indices may reach dangerous levels until the end of the month. The severe hot weather has already disrupted classes and labor productivity. Conversations around family gatherings at Lent have shifted to the best resort that is accessible and affordable for a family vacation. Camarines Sur, the largest of six provinces in Bicol, offers families and vacationing travelers attractive packages for relaxing beach holidays in Pasacao, Tinambac, Minalabac, Siruma, and Caramoan. These spots boast pristine sands, emerald green waters, and natural wonders like active volcanoes, waterfalls, rock formations, and ecological parks. Albay also has serene beaches that provide a relaxing escape with stunning views of the ocean and the majestic Mayon Volcano.  Other beaches and resorts are Ligao, Bacacay, Malinao, Misibis Cagraray, and Sto. Domingo.

According to our Catholic spiritual guardians, Lent is a period of spiritual preparation for Easter, focusing on prayer, giving, and self-control. With these beautiful resorts, can Lent during Summer in Bicol be a moment for reflection, prayer, fasting, and sacrifice?  Ordinarily, a beach holiday is a moment of feasting on festive, sumptuous foods, especially meat and drinks. However, it’s important to remember the true essence of Lent and use this time for spiritual growth and self-discipline.

To experience summer in Bicol is both a luxury and a privilege because the weather is often stormy and unsafe.  Most days are rainy, wet, and worse, flooded.   Lent oftentimes falls during the hottest temperature and, for some, competes with the obligations of sacrifice during the 47 days of spiritual reflection and penitence up to Easter Sunday. What traditionally should be an annual Christian tradition of prayers, fasting, and developing a deeper connection with God has become more of a summer beach holiday for families.

One Catholic Bishop lamented that most people look forward to spending the four-day break next week at picnics and beach parties instead of communing with God.  His disappointment reflects a more significant trend where Holy Week has become an occasion to go on vacation, and people have forgotten its meaning. It should serve as a reminder for all of us to reevaluate our priorities during this sacred time.

My experience has been that effectively combining both is a matter of innovation and mindset. Forty days of Lent is like a vacation, where one breaks many routines and goes into abstaining or fasting from certain chores and habits. Maudy Thursday and Good Friday are days of fasting from unhealthy foods. Saturday is a day of reckoning. Sunday is the real feast to savor and enjoy for a healthy body, mind, and spirit.

The voting experience

Last April 7, TBM invited COMELEC Commissioner Nelson Celis and the Education and Information Department to conduct voter education. More than 700 voters, primarily young first-time students, gathered at the Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation in Canaman, Camarines Sur, and participated in a simulated voting experience using the new Korean-made Automated Counting Machine. This significant development will impact the future of the electoral process.

The heat was unbearable outside. The searing sun shone bright, scorching the crowd, primarily young first-time voters. The night before, the LED wall from a local candidate, displaying his campaign messages, arrived in time for the early dinner JaimEliza’s kitchen staff had prepared for the technical staff and workers. The voting experience turned out fine. Still, there are questions of trust—will my vote be counted? Can we take a picture of the voter’s receipt? And how sure are the ballots transmitted successfully?

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) identified 1,239 areas in the country that were declared election hot spots, including 38 under the red category, for the midterm 2025 elections. Bicol is not one of them. However, according to political observers and studies, political dynasties, dubious party-list groups, and vote buying persist heavily in Bicol.

Then, media and representatives of candidates, political parties, and party-list groups bombarded Commissioner Celis with questions unrelated to the machines: What do we do with fake news, vote buying, incidents of harassment, and red-tagging? The Commissioner pledged to bring these complaints and reports to the proper authorities to be heard and ensure a fast resolution. Before becoming a commissioner, he was a part of civil society and an IT expert who called on the audience to exercise vigilance and courage to document and report fraudulent incidents.