FOR the longest time, the Antipolo Cathedral, now referred to as the National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, has been considered a center of Catholic devotion.
Unlike any other religious shrines, the Antipolo Cathedral takes the center stage three times a year — the feastday of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, the month-long May festivity for which Antipolo is known for, and the traditional Alay-Lakad which takes place every Maundy Thursday of the so-called “Holy Week.”
This year’s Alay-Lakad though is taking a step further as Antipolo Bishop Ruperto Santos hinted at something bigger — a Guinness World Record for the category of “Largest Gathering for a Walking Spiritual Pilgrimage in 12 Hours.”
“It is our plan to apply for the Guinness World Record for the category of having the ‘Largest Gathering for a Walking Spiritual Pilgrimage in 12 Hours,’ from 6 p.m. of Maundy Thursday to 6 a.m. of Good Friday,” Bishop Santos said in a news report.
MORE THAN ELIGIBLE
Citing data from the Rizal Provincial Police Office, last year’s Alay-Lakad recorded a whopping 7.4 million devotees who came in droves for which not even a bike would be able to pass through what looks more like a “sea of humanity.”
Taking cue from the Guinness list of world records under the “pilgrimage category,” there are only three countries dominating the category – Iran, Iraq and India.
This comes as Bishop Santos called on the Catholic faithful to take part in the 17-kilometer pilgrimage walk (from EDSA Shrine located at the corner of EDSA and Ortigas Avenue) to the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo City, if only to secure a place in the elite list of pilgrimage capitals across the globe.
Interestingly, the Philippines managed to secure two spots in the list under the category of the most number of attendees in religious holidays – the 2025 Feast of the Black Nazarene which logged 8.1 million participants and the Sto. Nino de Cebu which recorded 3.1 million in attendance in January 2014.
ALAY-LAKAD UP-CLOSE
Streaming along the streets like water from a gushing river, Catholic devotees from Central Luzon, Metro Manila and the Calabarzon region tirelessly walk to reach a domed cathedral at the top of a hill in upland Antipolo, Rizal province.
The phenomenal Alay Lakad forms part of the Holy Week religious activities which kicks off on Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday.
Other Holy Week activities include processions, reading of the passion (pabasa), passion play (senakulo), church visitation (Visita Iglesia), crucifixion rites, lenten retreats, reunion of the mother and son (salubong), easter vigil and Sunday mass coinciding with the Christ rising from the dead.
Interestingly, devotees (mostly young Catholics) come to the pilgrimage capital of the Philippines as a gesture of gratitude for the blessings they have been receiving, for intercession – and for some, a tradition that was passed from one generation to another.
DEVOTEES TESTIMONIALS
According to 53-year old devotee Leonidez Velasquez from Pasig City, he has been joining Alay-Lakad since he was 13 years old.
For Velasquez who works in a petshop in Barangay Pinagbuhatan, walking 14 kilometers is nothing compared to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Another devotee by the name of Boyet Mariano, a former government jail personnel, shared his personal “encounter” with faith. According to Mariano, he would have been dead a long time ago if not for his faith.
“I once had a happy family – a wonderful wife and two kids. I have a job, my wife runs our small business… everything seemed perfect, until I got hooked on drugs for which I lost my job, and my family,” Mariano said in the vernacular.
At 64, he lives alone in a house owned by his elder sister. By his own admission, living alone is hard especially under his condition. He is suffering from bone cancer.
“Mahirap pero nakakaraos kasi nga God always provides,” said Mariano who used to join the yearly Alay-Lakad until he developed an illness which limited his movement.
DEVOTION, NOT VACATION
However, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) finds it more prudent to give a premium on penance and faith while preserving the tradition.
The CBCP doesn’t support syncretization with elements of ritual practices not sanctioned by the universal Church, superstitions associated with the occasion and the wrong notion that Holy Week is the best time to go to tourist destinations for a long vacation.
More than devotion, Alay Lakad is something that an Antipolo village chief considers as an ideal time to show some compassion.
“Taga rito na kami sa Antipolo kaya wala na yung elemento ng sakripisyo sa paraan ng paglalakad ng malayo. Pero maraming paraan para maging bahagi ng Alay-Lakad,” says Chairman Jeff Naval Fernan of Barangay Dela Paz, where the long Alay-Lakad trek ends.
He also reminded people in attendance the purpose behind Alay-Lakad – “taimtim na pagninilay sa sagradong paglalakbay.”