MANILA, Philippines ? Old traditions like the ?pabasa? are slowly vanishing from Metro Manila neighborhoods, but in small pockets of ultra-cosmopolitan Makati, the religious ritual lives ? and thrives.

In the city?s poblacion, community leaders are working hard to keep the age-old custom flourishing, and they know there?s only one way to accomplish this: By passing it on to their children.

Take a stroll down the streets bisecting J.P. Rizal Avenue from Holy Wednesday to Good Friday and chances are you will see teenagers singing ? or reading ? the ?Pasyon? (Passion of Christ) in any of the 40 ?kubol? or ?calvario,? makeshift structures built for Pasyon readers in the barangay.

It?s a familiar sight in the city during Holy Week, and one that the pillars in the barangay hope to see for a long, long time.

?Someone once commented that if you see only old people sitting on the pews of a church, be afraid because that church will be no more once the elderly are gone,? said Mon Quijado, secretary of the Kapisanan ng Nagkakaisang Kalbarista sa Poblacion.

This, he said, is a gloomy scenario for many and a big motivation for church and community leaders to preserve religious practices like the Pabasa.

In his essay ?Holy Week Traditions in Makati,? former Central Bank governor and art collector Jaime Laya said it was ?remarkable and touching? how the people of Makati persist in the practice of their faith during the Lenten season.

?Unknown to those familiar only with the Makati of Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas, Spanish colonial Philippines comes alive on Holy Week at the old town center of Makati, between the Pasig River and the Makati of the ultra-exclusive Ayala villages,? he said.

Laya detailed how the community participated in the ritual, beginning in the construction of the calvario/kubol in appropriate locations by the neighborhood associations called ?samahan.?

?A procession of crucifixes stops at each calvario and a crucifix is reverently placed on an altar. The arrival of the crucifix signals the start of the neighborhood Pabasa or singing of the Pasyon. The Pabasa continues unabated until completed, which is often Good Friday,? Laya said.

Ling Ling Cervantes, head of the city?s Museum and Cultural Affairs Office, said there were some cases when young people themselves took the initiative of leading the Pabasa, though under adult supervision.

?They want to continue the tradition,? she said.

But Ding Futalan, chair of the Kapisanan, admitted that for the most part, getting teenagers to participate in the Pabasa becomes more challenging each year.

?There are distractions everywhere: computer games, the Internet, alcohol, drugs,? he said.

?When they?re asked to sing the Pasyon, most teenagers suddenly become shy and self-conscious. Those below 10 years old are more enthusiastic because they know meals will be served,? Quijado said with a laugh.

This is precisely why one of the two main objectives of the Kapisanan, formed only two years ago, is to reach out to the young ones. The other objective is to maintain the solemnity of the occasion and to ensure that Church teachings are followed.

Recalling his youth, Futalan said teenagers during his time were expected to go to the Pabasa, with no questions asked.

?Later you find yourself developing a sense of commitment,? he said. ?These days, you won?t see the same sense from the youth.?

Quijado said customs like the Pabasa help keep communities together by developing camaraderie and kinship.

?The bonding is much more evident than during Christmas,? Futalan said.

But both Futalan and Quijado said there was also an ugly side to it, naming as examples the ?politics? behind the neighborhood associations and the tendency to make it a competition.

?You have people coming from the US, Australia, Canada. When one of them hears that their neighbor donated $50, the other will give $100. If someone orders food from this caterer, the other will get a better caterer, and so on,? Futalan said.

Even the construction of the calvario sometimes turns into a contest for the biggest, costliest and grandest, Futalan said.

?Sometimes, it?s better to just get a tent and a blanket and people who make sure that the singing keeps going for more than 24 hours. That way, at least the spirit is there,? he said.