Palabas, Paloob at Palalim: The Historical, Socio-political, and Catechetical Significance of Sinakulo in Malolos, Bulacan, Philippines

During the 1970s, many barangays in Malolos, Bulacan, faithfully staged the Sinakulo, dramatizing the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In 2014, the residents of Barangay Tikay in Malolos, Bulacan, celebrated the centennial staging of their traditional Sinakulo. Scholars like Doreen Fernandez and Nicanor Tiongson already examined Sinakulo in the context of Philippine theatre history and aesthetics. In addition to its historical implications, this research article explored the social and catechetical contributions of Sinakulo. The researcher used a traditional triangulation method, which involved conducting library research, making observations with field notes, and carrying out informal or semi-structured interviews to verify the data. He applied a tripartite framework developed by Prospero Covar, where Filipino personhood is likened to a jar (banga) with the characteristics of labas (exterior), loob (interior), and lalim (depth/meaning) (Covar, 2015). He effectively adapted the said framework in presenting the evolution of Sinakulo from an agricultural landscape (historical context) to an industrial workplace (socio-political context) and then to a pastoral/catechetical necessity for present-day evangelization.