77-year-old ‘mananabtan’ offers prayer for the dead service for 60 years now

This is Teodorica Fuentenegra, 77, and has been offering her prayer services for only P50, for 60 years now. | CDN Digital Files / Raul Tabanao

CEBU CITY, Philippines — For 60 years now, Teodorica Fuentenegra, 77, has been praying for the souls of the dead every first and second day of November.

No, it’s not only her family members she is praying for, but strangers who sought her prayer service for their dead loved ones.

A family who wants her service need not to pay a high amount as she accepts P50 for saying the rosary at the gravesite of the departed for whom the prayer is offered.

Fuentenegra, a mother of nine, is a well known manalabtan in her place of residence near Mahiga Creek in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City.

But while sought after, every year on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, she still makes the rounds of cemeteries to randomly offer her prayer for the dead service.

In an interview with CDN Digital at the Carreta Pubic Cemetery in Cebu City, Fuentenegra shared her 60 year journey of prayers, starting when she was just a teenager.

Born in Oslob town in southern Cebu, Fuentenegra and her family transferred to Cebu City during World War II to find a better life.

But life was hard and she had to think of another way to earn money.

At the age of 9, Fuentenegra decided to stop attending school and started to accept any household chores from neighbors.

She started praying for the souls of friends and relatives, later on to strangers, when she turned 17.

One of her closest friends taught her how the prayers for the soul of the departed are said, mainly in a monotone chant in Cebuano. Since then, she has made a living out of it.

At first, she tagged along with her friend during someone’s wake, then she later built her own popularity to a point where she was often called to the different towns in Cebu for her prayer services, with all the expenses and her service paid for by her clients.

Funetenegra said she has come to like the job as she is able to earn to provide for the needs of her family.

“Maka kawarta man gud ka bisag ginagmay (I earn even if it is not that much),” said Fuentenegra.

But prayers for the dead alone cannot cover the expenses of living, especially when she got married and had children who were only one year apart.

She said life was tough, but you have to do what you can to survive.

To support the studies of her children, she washed laundry and sold fruits if she has no booking to do a prayer for the dead.

However, her children eventually gave up studying and decided to work. One went on to become a construction worker in Manila while the others, like her, took whatever odd job to help the family.

She was not angry. As long as her children are happy and know how to work hard, she is happy, too, she said.

Fuentenegra said she has no plan to retire and will continue to be a  manalabtan  for as long as she can.

“Basta di lang ta masakit (As long as I don’t get sick),” she said.

Next year, expect Fuentenegra to be still around at Carreta Public Cemetery to offer her services to those who need it./elb