Agencies on alert

As Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday rites led by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral today, government agencies have kicked off heightened travel safety operations across Central Visayas in anticipation of the influx of passengers this Lenten season.

- Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon Caecent No-ot Magsumbol, Rowena Capistrano

Archbishop Palma will lead the Palm Sunday mass and blessing of palm leaves at 7:30 a.m. today at the Cathedral.

Blessing of the new palm also paves the way for the old ones to be used for the next Ash Wednesday based on old tradition.

The blessing of the palm itself, Archbishop Palma said, serves as a reflection of Jesus Christ's selfless love.

Palma also hopes that as the Holy Week begins, people take time to reflect on the occasion's holiness and importance, accept God's grace, and do good.

Aside from today's mass, the Archbishop is also expected to lead other activities at the Cathedral.

This includes this Holy Thursday's Tinieblas at 7 a.m. and Mass of the Lord's Supper at 4 p.m., Good Friday's Tinieblas, the Siete Palabras and the celebration of the Lord's Passion, Black Saturday's Tinieblas and Easter Vigil Mass, and on Easter Sunday.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu explains Tenebrae or Tinieblas, which means "darkness or shadow," is a unique and special liturgy in the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church.

It is the morning prayer of the church on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. It involves extinguishing candles one by one [after each psalm].

The final candle is removed by a server or cleric, and hidden behind a curtain or the altar, signifying the burial of Our Lord in the tomb.

A noise is made, symbolizing the earthquake at the Crucifixion.

In some locations, the clerics and congregation knock on their pews for a time.

The candle is finally extinguished and replaced on the hearse or the triangular candlestick used in Tenebrae or Tinieblas services accordingly.

GOVT AGENCIES PREPARATION

Land Transportation Office (LTO)-7 has started deploying its personnel in public terminals and ports in Central Visayas as the “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Semana Santa and Summer Vacation 2025” officially begins.