Buhing Kalbaryo 2025: 16-year-old joins cast to understand Christ’s life

The 28th edition of Buhing Kalbaryo is scheduled to take place on the morning of Good Friday, April 18. | CDN Photo/ Pia Piquero

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Glorianne Garcho, 16, wanted to understand the life and suffering of Jesus Christ beyond what she learned in school and church.

So she volunteered as one of the performers for this year’s Buhing Kalbaryo, a decades-old Lenten street play reenacting the Passion of Christ in Cebu City.

“First time gyud ni nako nga niapil sa Buhing Kalbaryo,” Gacho shared in a press conference on Friday, April 11.

(It is my first time to join the Buhing Kalbaryo.)

“Niapil ko kay gusto ko mas mo-widen pa gyud akong knowledge about ni Jesus Christ. Student pa baya ko, unya maglisod ko sa school pero naa gyud Siya nga mo-help nako. Mao niapil ko ani para mas makafeel ko sa iyang presence ug mas makasabot sa iyang kinabuhi,” she added.(I joined because I liked to widen my knowledge about Jesus Christ. I am still a student and then I find it difficult in school but he is there to help me. That is why I joined because I want to feel his presence and to understand better his life.)

READ: Buhing Kalbaryo 2024 draws 5,000 crowd in Cebu City

Gacho is one of over 120 cast members participating in the 28th edition of Buhing Kalbaryo, which will be held on the morning of Good Friday, April 18, along the streets of Barangays San Nicolas Proper, Calamba, and Guadalupe.

First staged in 1997, Buhing Kalbaryo is a Lenten street play that dramatizes the Passion, Crucifixion, and Death of Jesus Christ.

Over nearly three decades, it has become a deeply rooted tradition in Cebu City, known not only for its spiritual and cultural significance but also for its unique brand of grassroots volunteerism and barangay collaboration.

In 2024, the event drew a crowd of approximately 5,000 people, according to the Guadalupe Police Station. That massive turnout is expected again this year, yet organizers confirmed that the production remains entirely community-driven, with no financial assistance from the Cebu City government.

READ: Days of Holy Week: What they teach us about faith and redemption

“This is purely bayanihan. Zero as in zero ang assistance from the city,” said former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama, who serves as the overall chairman of the production.

“If mangutana mo diin mi kuha’g kwarta—naa ra gyud mi’y salig sa Ginoo ug sa among mga suki. Ever since, wala gyud mi gasto gikan sa city,” he added.

(If someone would ask where we got the money–it is really in our trust in God and in our patrons. Ever since, we did not have expenses covered by the city.)

He said logistical and material needs were met through private donations and the combined efforts of the barangays involved: San Nicolas Proper, Calamba, Guadalupe, Sapangdaku, and Kalunasan. Volunteers provide labor, stage construction, costumes, props, and meals for the performers.

Aside from food and basic items like shirts and sandals, cast members receive no monetary compensation.

“Kini silang mga cast, ang ilang madawat lang gyud pagkaon ug panabang. Mao ra gyud among ikasukli sa ilang pag-apil,” he said.

(What the cast would received is food and help. That is what we can give to those who joined.)

READ: The PASSION of Jesus Christ

For many, Buhing Kalbaryo is a form of devotion, family tradition, and a spiritual mission.

Rama said that the event continues to grow not because of institutional support, but because of the dedication of ordinary people.

This year’s production is overseen by Malou Rama and directed by a creative team composed of Werner Lorenzo, Ian Fuentes, Mark Rosales, and Henry Echavez, with artistic direction by Almarie June Jacaban.

Between 120 to 150 volunteers are expected to perform, fewer than last year’s 200, but organizers believe the changes in this year’s production will leave an even deeper impact.

“In 28 years, this will be the first time mausab ang ending sa Buhing Kalbaryo. If ma-touch inyong heart sa opening, how much more sa ending,” Jacaban said.

(In 28 years, this will be the first time that the ending of the Buhing Kalbaryo is changed. If your heart will be touched by the opening, how much more in the ending.)

From wonder to devotion

For 29-year-old Hope Cui, who plays the Virgin Mary this year, joining Buhing Kalbaryo has been a journey of transformation. She first joined in 2009 as a minor cast member.

“Sa una magtan-aw ra ko sa mga mu-portray og Mary (ug) magwonder ko kung unsa kaha na ka nindot,” Cui recalled.

(In the past, I just watched the person portraying Mary (and) I wondered that it could be great.)

“Karon nga ako na ang gihatagan og chance, I really gave my best. Ako gyud gi-memorize ang script with a heart,” she said.

(Now, I am the one given a chance, I really gave my best. I really memorized the script with a heart.)

Malou Rama, the event overseer, said that while the challenges were real—logistics, weather, lack of funding—they were outweighed by the sense of purpose.

“Kung i-offer nako akong role sa Buhing Kalbaryo to Jesus, dili siya challenge para nako…Para nako, inspiration ni siya para sa mga batan-on nga niapil,” she said.

(If I offer my role in Buhing Kalbaryo to Jesus, that is not a challenge, for me…for me, that is an inspiration to the youth who joined.)

And for first-timers like Gacho, the experience is a step closer to the heart of the faith she is still trying to fully grasp.