How the Nazarene made Zonny a millionaire

To devotees, the Black Nazarene holds out the promise of miracles. Millionaire Zonny Espiritu says she's proof that the amazing happens. And she didn't even join the procession. She simply watched it on TV, as she was searching for a lost receipt. Zonny, 60, is now a procession regular out of gratitude, one of the multitudes who mobbed Manila's streets for the annual ritual, undeterred by reports of a terrorist threat. "Namanata ako mula nung nanalo ako ng 2 million sa Pera sa Resibo. Nawala pa nga yung resibo," she recalls. Espiritu had joined the Bureau of Internal Revenue's Pera sa Resibo text raffle promo. The promo aims to encourage consumers to ask for receipts from establishments with winners taking home 1 million pesos each. Through the Nazarene, she says, she won. Twice. "Kaya pumunta ako diyan (Quirino Grandstand), sabi ko: 'Sana makuha ko yung resibo kung para sa akin yung pera.' Tapos umuwi na ko. Hindi ko kaya sumabay sa ganyan. 60 na ako. Nanonood ako ng TV, papasok na ang Nazareno sa simbahan, nandun yung resibo sa TV namin. Nakapatong lang don. Pano nangyari yon e hinalungkat ko na yung buong bahay e hindi ko nakita," she said, the wonder of it all still fresh in her memory. She swears that the Nazarene's power led to the sudden appearance of her winning receipt. The sheer number of people who come to celebrate the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Manila can be overwhelming. Millions flock to the procession route to see the image of the Black Nazarene, wave their white towels, and yell "Viva!" But to the most devout of the devotees, the main objective is to grab the rope that pulls the image through the streets of Manila. Grabbing the rope should be easy, except when an entire mob is trying to do the same thing. That's when it gets dangerous. Not for the faint of heart Participating in the Feast of the Black Nazarene is not for the faint of heart. Think of a mosh pit, then think of it having millions of participants. People get stepped on, people get elbowed, people pass out, and almost yearly, a few get killed. The art of grabbing the rope is an intricate process that involves faith and desire, not necessarily strength. It is certainly not a strength game. It's never a strength game. One grown man's strength is not a match for an army of people fighting for the same few inches of rope. Brash youths come each year looking for a rush, thinking that anyone can sail through a sea of men to grab a piece of the rope. All of them return home realizing that surviving the crush of people takes more smarts than bravado. "Pag nadala ka, wag mong lalabanan. Mababalian ka," said one man when I started to attend four years ago. There is no control. If you want to join the crowd, you will have to swim in the sea of humanity and hope the crowd sways towards the rope. When you get near the rope, at least two "levels" of men are trying to fight for a fist-length of space. You may try to reach for it ever so politely. That's when you realize that other men are shoving and elbowing others to get to the same spot. Haves vs have nots The Feast has always been associated with the masses. Some even claim that only the poor would be foolish enough to risk their lives to participate in an exercise of religious fanaticism. But Zonny Espiritu knows better. "Madaming mayaman diyan. Madaming nagkapera diyan. Maraming Chinese na nagpapakain. Tignan mo, andaming sasakyan. Sinong nagsabing pang mahirap yan? Kalimitan pumupunta dito mayayaman na may sakit," said Espiritu. "Pinampatayo ko ng eskwelahan sa Taft. Lahat ng hiningi ko sa kanya parang nagkakatotoo. Nagpapasalamat ako, para dumami ang estudyante ko, para mas marami pa kong matulungan. Naisip ko magpatayo ng school kasi hindi ako nag-aral. Nag-aral ako ng Alternative Learning System sa DepEd. Nung pumasa ako, dun ako nanalo," Espiritu added. Her school has tie-ups with various fast food chains in Pasay who pay her students' tuition fees in exchange for four hours of work each day. Millions of reasons The crowd looks like a swarming ant colony on television. But everyone here has his own special reason for participating. RJ Calano, a hospital radiation technician, came with his wife in tow. "Six years na ko pumupunta dahil marami tayong kasalanan. Natutupad din naman ang mga hinihingi ko. Para to sa good health ng magulang ko at anak ko," he said. Jaymark Pacheco, a logistics specialist, brought his wife and infant daughter to the Quirino Grandstand to continue a family tradition. "Pangatlong taon ko na," he said. "Dati kasi lola ko since nung bata pa siya. Nung namatay siya, nagsimula na kong mamanata. Para to sa health ng pamilya ko para mapanatili lagi na malakas sila." Among the throngs were students. Ariana, a fourth year high school student at the Paco Catholic School, came with her family, hoping for good results on two college entrance tests that were being released that same day. "Pangalawang beses ko na sumama. Para sa studies 'to," Ariana said. Winnilane dela Cruz, a mother of three, came with her three kids to pray for better health. "Five years na kami dito. Yung anak ko kasing bunso sakitin. Namanata na ako. Bago kami pumunta dito, nilalagnat yan, three days na. Dapat mag-o-overnight kami kagabi kaya nga lang umaambon tapos ang taas taas ng lagnat. Tignan mo ngayon," she said while pointing at her son, who was already well and playing on the Quirino grandstand grounds. "Sana hindi madisgrasya ang pamilya namin," added dela Cruz' daughter, eight-year-old Leila. Talking to devotees, I realized that not one was asking for money. They usually wished for better health for their family, and the strength to get through another year. - HS, GMA News