By Nelly D. Guinid

Mrs Nelly Guinid is the mother of Vanessa. Her father was a pagan high priest who asked for baptism when dying. As the Catholic priest was too far away, Mrs Guinid baptized her own father. You may contact her at NellyGuinid@dti.dti.gov.ph  or at: bureau of Trade Regulation and Consumer Protection, 2nd Floor Trade and Industry Building, 361 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, MAKATI CITY.

The honga is an Ifugao practice where a dying person blesses his or her family.  A day is scheduled, three to nine pigs are butchered and the relatives of the sick person, even up to the tenth degree, as well as the neighbors, are invited to take part.  In the old days people prayed to the pagan gods to cure the sick person.  The practice today, however, is to conduct a Christian prayer service, Catholic or Protestant, depending on the sick person’s religion, for his or her recovery.  Immediately after the prayers, the sick person blesses by the immediate family.  The number of pigs to be butchered depends on the economic status of the family of the sick person, whether rich, middle class, or poor.