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My mother was in a store in Tayuman (Manila) in the 1980s to look for a Sto. Niño that she intended to give as a gift,” began engineer Jaime Amatong Jr.
“When she entered the store, she heard someone calling to her. But none of her companions heard anything.”
But Amatong’s mother, Rose, looked for the person calling her. Her search led her to a niche underneath the store’s staircase. There, in the niche, was the largest image of the Holy Child she had ever laid eyes on: Six feet and two inches tall from base to crown tip.
“It was covered in thick layers of dust and cobwebs. She said she saw the image’s eyes widen as she looked at it. My mother had goosebumps,” said Amatong, 42, manager of a downtown electronics store.
“She wanted to buy the image, but it cost P12,000. Back then, that was very expensive.”
Determined, Rose called up her husband, Jaime Sr., then working in Saudi Arabia, and told him about the discovery. But he found the price too high.
A few days later, Jaime Sr. fell ill. One night, he dreamed of a big image of the Sto. Niño.
“He called up my mommy and told her to buy the image,” Amatong said. Shortly after, Jaime Sr. recovered.
It was only months later when Jaime Sr., having returned home to his family in Malabon City, realized the enormity of the new treasure the family found, as well as its significance – the image was exactly that which he saw in his dream.
“Daddy dropped to his knees and cried in front of the image.”
Behind each of the 63 images of the Sto. Niño on display at the Ayala Center Cebu is a story, said museum curator Lucio Palmares of the University of the Southern Philippines Foundation.
The images, showcased in a section of the mall, come from 16 collectors, all devotees of the Sto. Niño, and all with stories about the images of their collection.
“They are all priceless,” Palmares said.
Msgr. Cristobal Garcia, chairman of the Archdiocesan Commission on Worship who led the blessing and rites of the exhibit’s opening last Thursday, said among the images on display is one that he found in a garbage can on one of his trips to the United States.
Other contributors include choreographer Val Sandiego, lawyer Erlinda Ramos, Helen Bucag, Susing Arcenal and Dading Perez.
The images come in all sizes. But Amatong’s Sto. Niño stands out. No other image in the exhibit stands close to its enormity.
After the exhibit’s blessing, Amatong recalled the first time the family had their giant image blessed.
“The priest we invited was perplexed why we asked that the rite be done at home,” Amatong said. Images are usually blessed in churches.
“The priest came and was surprised at the size of the Sto. Niño.”
The priest, in a homily, later gave the image the nickname “Sto. Mama,” after the Tagalog word for an adult male.
The family has since made it a tradition to bring the image to Sto. Niño exhibits in Manila.
When Amatong moved to Cebu in 1994, he brought the image with him and continued the family tradition. The image has since been a mainstay in the Ayala Center Cebu’s Sto. Niño exhibits since 2000.
“I made a promise to always bring Him here,” he said.
And just with all other images at the exhibit, the family has its own stories of miracles attributed to the image.
“There was one incident wherein no one was at home and thieves entered our house,” Amatong said.
When the family arrived home, they discovered that nothing was missing. They also noticed one more thing.
“There were footsteps that led to the image.”
As with other images of the Sto Niño, this one was not beyond mischief either.
When Amatong was preparing to move to Cebu in 1994, he arranged for the statue to be shipped.
“We got delayed because even 10 men could not budge it from its place. I had to go back and help them,” Amatong said.
“When I got there, it only took four of us to move the image.”
