By CESAR JOLITO III
Faith, family and tradition continue to intertwine outside San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City as 74-year-old Maria Rita Bantillo carries on a 47-year-long livelihood of selling woven palm fronds, locally known as “ramos” or “lukay,” every Palm Sunday, as part of a long-standing Holy Week devotion.
Bantillo, a native of Negros Occidental’s Murcia town, who later settled in Barangay Granada after getting married, has been selling palm fronds since 1971 — turning what began as a modest post-marriage livelihood into a lifelong devotion and family tradition.
Now, more than five decades later, she is no longer alone in work.
She is joined by her children, who help her prepare and sell the “ramos” to Catholic faithful attending Palm Sunday Mass at the cathedral.
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week in the Catholic tradition, commemorating the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, where believers welcomed Him with palm branches.
It also signals the start of the final days of Lent, the 40-day period of prayer, fasting and reflection leading up to Easter Sunday.
For Bantillo and many vendors outside churches, the occasion is both spiritual and economic, as thousands of churchgoers purchase blessed palm fronds to bring home as symbols of peace, protection and renewal of faith.
Bantillo shared that each “ramos” now sells for around P20 — far from the 25 centavos price when she first started more than 50 years ago, reflecting both rising costs and changing times.
She added that they began selling as early as 3:00 a.m. last Friday, March 27, and continued until the evening to meet the steady flow of customers preparing for Palm Sunday observance.
Despite personal hardships, including the passing of her husband in 2010 due to an ulcer, Bantillo said she has remained committed to her annual tradition, believing that her faith has sustained and blessed her family through the years.
As Holy Week unfolds, her story stands as a quiet testament to enduring devotion — where livelihood and spirituality meet in the simple woven leaves carried by generations of Filipino Catholics./CJ, WDJ