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Bayambangueños Walk in Faith; St. Vincent Ferrer Statue Dubbed World’s “Tallest Bamboo Structure (Supported)”
by Christien Emmanouelle P. Artacho, Aliah Nicole C. Brillante, and Justine V. Bugarin
As the clock struck 3 in the afternoon, the church bell’s toll signifying the beginning of the thanksgiving mass resonated from the four corners of the St. Vincent Ferrer Parish Church down to the town proper, drawing townsfolk to attend the feast and causing a massive gathering of parishioners piling up to the front of the church, April 5.
Along with the thousands of devotees came an entire flock of parish priests from the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, led by Bishop Elmer Mangalinao, Rev. Julius Erwin P. Amarillo, OSJ, and the local church’s parish priest Fr. Allen O. Romero.
“St. Vincent Ferrer can be considered as one of the brightest stars among the saints in heaven, with countless records of miracles done through him,” emphasized Bishop Mangalinao in his homily.
Subsequent to the holy mass, drum and lyre corps, brightly-colored floats accentuating the patron saint, representatives from each of the 77 barangays of Bayambang, and church servers paraded in the streets of Quezon Blvd. with the route winding up to Barangay Bani, where the world’s tallest bamboo sculpture (supported) stands.
After roughly two hours of extensive procession, delegates reached the venue, setting aside tiredness and the scorching heat just to witness and be part of the gradual unfolding of another divine milestone.
The day marks the feast of St. Vincent Ferrer, the commemoration of his 600th death anniversary, the celebration of the 405th founding anniversary of the town, and 400th year of the parish. With this great deal of observances, Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao and wife Niña Jose-Quiambao gave the St. Vincent Ferrer Statue as a personal gift to all Bayambangueños.
The launching of the Prayer Park, of which the gigantic statue is the centerpiece, started off with the stage lighted up by LED dancers and festive exhibitions, then succeeded by a 3D audio-visual presentation of the life of the patron saint, a tireless healer and builder of the Church.
Dominican friar, Saint Vincent Ferrer, was born in Valencia, Spain on January 23, 1350. He was well-known for his preaching and gift of prophecy. He entered the Dominican order at the age of 15 and was ordained priest in 1378.
Throughout his life, he performed miracles and wondrous deeds, not only to Christians, but also to the Jews and Moors. The Dominican priest was devoted to preach all over the countries of Spain, France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland.
This humble friar-preacher died in Vannes, France on April 5. 1419 and was canonized on June 3, 1455 in Rome, Italy by Pope Calixtus III.
“Let no one of us be alone and be poor now that we feel God’s unending love, grace, and mercy as we witness the miracle that is happening in our town here and now,” Dr. Henry J. Fernandez, Hermano Mayor, expressed in his opening note.
This was immediately succeeded by a video greeting from Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, emphasizing the importance of forgiving and understanding.
“This St. Vincent Ferrer Statue and this Prayer Park is a gift from God to you through my humble self and Niña. Benefit from it, enjoy it, and share it,” Mayor Quiambao stated in his heartfelt address of gratitude.
Further added from his talk was a presentation on the statue’s conceptualization in December 2017, and its construction in March 2018, with only a year spent in building it.
The welcoming speech was followed straightaway by a serenade from the country’s “Prince of Pop,” Erik Santos, causing a feeling of nostalgia as he sang famous songs of the past decade.
Filling the open field was the heavenly voices of the choir composed of 400 Bayambangueños of all ages, belting out songs composed by Matalunggaring Awardee (the highest local government award) Oscar Ora.
After the choir rendition was the blessing of the statue led by newly appointed Auxiliary Bishop Fidelis Layog, a native son of the town.
The statue is primarily made up of 22,626 bamboo panels and medium carbonized decking and steel, standing 50.23 meters high from its octagonal foundation and surpassing both the Statue of Liberty in New York and Christ the Redeemer in Brazil.
After five years from the first Guinness World Record won by the town for the longest barbeque, Bayambang once again bravely attempted and successfully clinched another record for the world’s tallest bamboo sculpture (supported).
The tabulation and proclamation of the new record was made by Swapnil Dangarikar, official adjudicator of the Guinness World Records.
The visualization and realization of the project was made possible by Mayor Quiambao and wife Niña Jose-Quiambao, Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation under Managing Director Romyl Junio, and the parish church, in collaboration with JQS Builders, FEISCO, RAA Architects, Engineers and Consultancy Services, and Palafox Associates.
The latter part of the event was the awarding of the Best in Carroza during the procession. Barangays Amancosiling Sur, M.H. Del Pilar, Bical Sur, Bical Norte, and Tanolong won 1st place to 5th place, respectively.
The vibrant fireworks display marked the countdown for the official opening of the pilgrimage site, and as the display came to a halt, the structure was fully lighted, and applause and excitement dominated the scene. Concluding the occasion was a video presentation detailing the plans for the Prayer Park in the coming years, which is mainly aimed at becoming a landmark of faith in Pangasinan, a global icon of Catholic missionary work, and a site for prayer, healing and spiritual renewal. (Photos by Wenchie Artacho, Eddxer Valenzuela, Ralph Tumaneng, Revo Lazo, and James Marc Aquino)
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