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SEÑOR SANTO NIÑO | PHILIPPINES

MARCIANO IBAÑEZ

What personal item would you protect if your home was about to be flooded? Marciano Ibañez faced that decision when the Davao River flooded nearby towns in the area in 2013.

Faith plays an important role in daily life in the Philippines. As a country battered by extreme weather events every rainy season, that faith is often put to the test.

When the Davao River peaked at 12 metres in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, Marciano Ibañez’s home was in the firing line. He had little time to think. There was nothing he could do to save the house. All he had to do was protect his family. As they moved to higher ground one of the first items Marciano grabbed was his beloved Señor Santo Niño; a Baby Jesus icon revered around the Philippines.

Object of Memory

The Philippines is a deeply Catholic country and faith plays an important role in everyday life. In times of crisis, people often find comfort in religion and that’s the story behind Marciano Ibañez’s object of memory; a replica of a Baby Jesus icon gifted to the King of Cebu by a Spanish Conquistador in the 16th century. When flood waters rose around Marciano’s home he turned to Señor Santo Niño.