Officials urged participants them to get tetanus vaccinations before they flagellate themselves and are nailed to crosses, and to practise good hygiene. Penitents were strongly advised to check the condition of their whips as they wanted people to have what they call "well-maintained" whips. They also advised that the nails used to fix people to crosses must be properly disinfected first.
Surreal as this sounds there is a method in this madness: using unhygienic whips and dirty nails could lead to tetanus and other infections.
Every Good Friday, in towns across the Philippines, people atone for sins or give thanks for an answered prayer by re-enacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In the northern city of San Fernando alone there were three separate improvised Golgothas and four people had pledged to have their feet and hands nailed to wooden crosses, while others will flog themselves while walking barefoot through villages.
