Santo Niño de Tacloban - the King of Leyte

Santo Niño de Tacloban

In the Island province of Leyte, in the heart of its Metropolis, Tacloban, lies a church with a tall belfy dedicated to the beloved King of Leyte and held most dear by Taclobanons - the centuries old Miraculous image of Santo Niño de Tacloban, the Protector of the Island of Leyte.

The Church of Santo Niño de Tacloban became the bastion of Catholicism in this city of 220,000, The Sto. Niño safeguards the evangelical faith of approximately 70% of Taclobanons who are Catholics. The Taclobanons continues to enjoy the miracles and graced lavished by their beloved King.

The image

The image of the Santo Niño de Tacloban is that of the image of the Child Jesus typically styled as a Boy-King which is en-vogue image all over the country from its stance and depiction.

The image of the Santo Niño de Tacloban is that of a wooden body with ivory heads and hands, wears a fine set of vestments which includes the now iconic metallic vestments made of precious metals which is intricately designed fit for the King and Protector of the Province of Leyte. The image holds the scepter and the globus cruciger as the sign of his Divine Kingship over the people.

Apparently, there are three images of the Señor Sto. Niño de Tacloban that the devotees take care of: the El Capitan (the original miraculous image reposed on the retablo); the El Teniente that is left in the house of the June fiesta hermano during the year; and the El Sargento that stays in the house of the hermanito of the feast in January.

History

The history of the King of Leyte is somehow peculiar and intertwined with the local tradition . In 1888, the members of the Hermandad Han Sto. Niño of Tacloban decided to prepare for the upcoming town fiesta where the town is placed under the patronage of the Child Jesus. The image of the Child Jesus was sent to Manila repairs and retouch and to have a new set of vestments made.

These having been done, it was shipped back to Tacloban on board the steamer Luzon, which unfortunately caught fire off the coast of Romblon. In the midst of the confusion, members of the crew mistakenly jettisoned the crate containing the venerable image out into the sea.

The loss of the image venerated and loved by the Taclobanons was great, so much so that that year, no celebration was held.

The Finding of the Patron

Six months after the loss of the image, however, sometime in May 1889, news from the military governorate of Mindoro came to Tacloban, reporting the sighting of a crate labeled "Sto. Niño, Patron han Tacloban". This piece of news mobilized the Hermandad Han Sto. Niño to send a party to retrieve the image, which the resigned Taclobanons had already given up for lost. The image finally arrived at the port of Tacloban on June 30, 1889.

The arrival of the image was in perfect timing for its is said that the city was suffering from a cholera epidemic and it miraculously disappeared with the arrival of their beloved King. Since then, the June 30 Miracle was memorialized with a special feast of thanksgiving and deliverance in honor of Santo Niño de Tacloban.

The Present church of Santo Niño de Tacloban

The Church

The original church structure was built by the Augustinians as a small chapel or ‘visita’ under the titular Dulce Nombre de Jesus. They found the location a practical site for the new converts since it faces a wide channel and is situated on solid plain ground.

The small chapel was made up of light materials and nipa and can be reached by way of a vanca, from a nearby port known as Balyuan. This happened around 1596 and came under the guidance of the Palo friary.



The Augustininans from nearby Cebu Basilica del Sto. Niño administered the chapel in 1768, the same year when Tacloban was declared ac city and the first Spanish settlers settled in. The Franciscans came in around 1843 to manage the parish and by 1860, a new Romanesque Church in was built with a towering appearance and the prominence of round arches and small windows ventilating around the church. The church was made of adobe and a mixture of coral stones, a common style and method during this period. Two belfries were attached on top. Unfortunately, a strong typhoon blew the uppermost part of the roof and caved in, paving way for the church to be rebuilt with only one belfry. During wartime, an earthquake damaged the church and a new more modern style was built with the aid of semi-modern construction materials. It was only in 1990 that the church was finally handed over to the Archdiocese of Palo. The present form of the church dates back to 1986 with a new repainting job in early 2000. The new altar was inaugurated during the Jubilee year on April 15, 2000. The Church went again for restoration with the damages were left by the killer Super Typhoon Yolanda (Internationally known as Haiyan).

Patronage

The devotion and the protection of the Sto. Niño de Tacloban was extended to the rest of the province of Leyte that compelled the Bishop of Palo, Bishop Teotimo Pacis. By virtue of a decree dated June 1, 1967, the Sto. Niño was decreed the Heavenly Patron of Leyte, and its celebrated was raised to the rank of a feast for the whole diocese. The Santo Niño de Tacloban was solemnly honored with an Episcopal Coronation on June 30, 1968, the Niño's feast day, by Bishop Teotimo Pacis of Palo on the occassion of the Hermandad of then President Ferdinand E. Marcos. The coronation rite was performed when the local ordinary decreed the Santo Niño de Tacloban as the Heavenly Patron, Protector and King of Leyte. 

Señor Santo Niño de Tacloban on his Fluvial Procession

The Devotion and Sangyaw Festival

With so much favors and miracles that were granted by Leyte's King and Protector, the devotion of the Taclobanons is evident, especially during his June 30 Fiesta known as the Sangyaw Festival.

Thousands of Santo Niño devotees from all over Eastern Visayas and other parts of the country, flocked to Tacloban City for the Sangyaw Festival to pay homage to Señor Santo Niño de Tacloban, the Patron of Leyte. This celebration is one of a kind, as the celebration of the Christ Child usually falls on the third Sunday of January in the liturgical calendar of the Philippines which makes the Feastday uniquely Taclobanon, The Sangyaw Festival commemorates the miraculous arrival of the Santo Niño to the shores of Tacloban that ended the cholera epidemic in the islands.

During the aftermath of the killer Super Typhoon Yolanda, the administration of the Sto. Nino de Tacloban Parish and the city government decided to let the image visit the city and other towns in Leyte to give comfort and hope to his devotees who are devastated by the killer Typhoon and the people in turn welcomed him for they know that their Protector will never abandon them. The devotion to the Sto. Niño de Tacloban is kept alive and forever be intertwined with the history of Leyte for he showers them with miracles and the people in turn gave him their perpetual trust and they know that their beloved King will protect them in every adversity that the people of Tacloban and the whole island of Leyte will face.

Reference:

"History of Santo Niño Church in Tacloban", Parish of Santo Niño de Tacloban, Tacloban, Leyte, 2012.

Photos:

Parish of Santo Niño de Tacloban
Vidanes, Lawrence

Special credits to Mr. Lawrence Vidanes and the Parish of Santo Niño de Tacloban of the photographs used for this blog post.