Sunny Merindo | Photography

From penetensya to crucifixion. Faith on full display.
Maleldo 2026 unfolds in San Fernando, Pampanga as the morning heat settles over the streets and the crowd slowly gathers to witness a ritual shaped by faith and sacrifice.
In San Juan, the first cuts begin as men prepare their bodies with quiet focus while another stands behind them, reopening wounds so the blood continues to flow as part of a vow carried for years.
They move forward barefoot on burning pavement, striking their backs again and again in a steady rhythm, each step heavy, each lash deliberate, as sweat and blood mix under the sun while the crowd watches in silence.
The journey leads to Cutud where wooden crosses stand waiting and the atmosphere shifts as the final act begins, nails driven through hands as devotees are raised in a live crucifixion that holds the crowd in stillness.
This is Maleldo, a tradition where pain becomes offering and faith is carried not in words but in endurance.