Apung Iru: Apalit's saint who travels by river

In Apalit, Saint Peter is not a distant apostle but Apung Iru, a grandfatherly patron with his own house, his own family and his own river.

A procession on the water

The libad began on June 28, 1844, introduced by the town's capitan del pueblo, Pedro Armayan Espiritu. Every year since, the image has been taken out on the Pampanga River. It is a life-sized, seated figure with an ivory face, dating from the last quarter of the 1700s.

Wikipedia counts the procession among the most significant water-based intangible heritage traditions in the country. Locally, it is simply the fiesta, three days from June 28 to 30 of banderitas, food and boats.

Seen from the bank

Writer Barbara Gonzalez-Ventura described the 2005 libad for Philstar. Apung Iru, she was told, traditionally belongs to the Gonzalez family; he comes down the river, lands at the church for Mass and then goes home. The big two-storey barge carrying him was followed by boats with a Virgin and a Santo Niño, a dragon boat, a giant white chicken and an inflatable fish. Rain was taken as a sign of a lucky year, and a banca with water hoses sent everyone running.

The best way to understand it is to go. See the Apung Iru Fluvial Festival listing and our tips for watching.