Valenzuela mayor to rappers: Spare Pasyon, cops on lookout

The pasyon is no rapper’s delight.

Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian issued this reminder following reports that some youths with an ear and tongue for rhythm and street-smart verse are applying their talents to the traditional pabasa this Holy Week.

The mayor’s statement seems to run counter to that of Monsignor Pedro Quitorio, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, who found the rapped version of the Lenten narrative acceptable as long as it is used for a solemn reflection on the life and passion of Jesus Christ.

The city’s chief public information officer Ahna Mejia clarified that the mayor had no intention of going against the CBCP official, saying Gatchalian’s call stemmed from his personal view on the matter.

“The mayor has his personal opinion, that’s all,” she told the Inquirer.

Mejia said Gatchalian had directed barangay officials and the police to stop any gathering where young people chant the Pasyon verses with “vocal antics” that “deviate from the holiness of the occasion.”

Mejia explained that the city has no ordinance prohibiting the rapped version of the Pasyon but that the city police have been mandated by the mayor to confiscate sound systems used for such performances.

“We don’t want rap lyrics, which usually contain foul words, to be associated with (the verses),” she explained.