Muslim actor to play Christ in a senakulo

This Holy Week in Pampanga, Yasser Marta steps into one of the most demanding roles an actor can face: portraying Hesus in a senakulo.

Yasser is a Muslim actor, so it naturally draws curiosity. He is Portuguese-Tausug, with his mother hailing from Jolo, Sulu. And while that background shapes who he is, he doesn't plan on carrying it into the role as a statement.

Yasser intends to approach the role with the mindset of an actor focused on the responsibility of the part. For Yasser, it's just about doing the work.

In the times I have spoken to him, what becomes clear is how steady he is about the process, preparing by studying the material and taking the time to understand how the role should feel when performed, including watching "The Passion of the Christ," Mel Gibson’s reference film on the final hours of Christ, to observing how the story is carried and how restraint plays a role in keeping it honest, not to imitate, but to understand.

Because in a senakulo, especially during Holy Week, people come with intention, and that changes the weight of what is being portrayed.

The role is demanding in ways that are visible, with the heat, the physical strain and the long hours of rehearsing all taking a toll. Beyond is something heavier, because he is portraying Jesus Christ, believed by many as the Son of God, in a country where that belief is deeply held.

That is not something an actor can take lightly.

Yasser during rehearsals. Courtesy: Nelson Canlas/GMA Integrated News

Yasser knows what the role means to people and understands that he is stepping into something that does not belong to him, which is why he describes himself as a vessel, someone entrusted to carry a story that is sacred to many, even if only for a moment.

That understanding shapes the way he approaches the role, not as something to own, but as something to serve.

At its core, the story he is telling reaches beyond religion, because it is about a man who suffered, who was betrayed and who still chose to forgive, a man who gave up His life for others, and that truth resonates regardless of where one stands.

This year’s staging is part of Siete Palabras 2026, The Seven Last Words of Christ, one of Pampanga’s most anticipated Holy Week traditions.

On April 1, 2026, a parade will be held at the Prime Water District on Pampanga Road at 5pm, followed on April 2 by the reenactment of The Last Supper at 7pm in front of Kalayaan Hall of Barangay Lourdes North West, and on April 3, the Passion and Crucifixion of Christ will be reenacted starting at the Sapang Bato Terminal along Henson Street, where the story reaches its most powerful moment. — LA, GMA integrated News