In partnership with San Jose Parish Placer and coordination with the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc., Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo has officially opened “PAGTUO,” an exhibit displaying different images of the Sto. Niño owned by different local parishes and devotees who have dedicated their daily lives in adoration of the baby Jesus. The exhibit is composed of 14 images of Sto. Niño varying in sizes and origins.
The origin of the Holy Child said to begin when His image was given as a baptismal gift to the local chief’s wife Queen Juana by Spanish explorers led by Portguese-born Ferdinand Magellan as a symbol of alliance. To her husband Carlos, Magellan presented the bust of “Ecce Homo”, or the depiction of Christ before Pontius Pilate. He then presented an image of the Virgin Mary to the natives who were baptized after their rulers. Magellan died on 27 April 1521 in the Battle of Mactan, leaving the image behind. The Santo Niño is a Roman Catholic title of the Child Jesus associated with the image of the Child Chirst. The Santo Niño de Cebu is the oldest surviving Catholic relic in the country, along with the Magellan Cross.
The ‘Pagtuo’ Exhibit will be available to the public for free viewing starting January 14 to January 26, 2019 in line of the Iloilo Dinagyang Festival. The exhibit is located at the Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo lobby.