OLONGAPO, Philippines: Summertime in the Philippines is synonymous with young Filipino boys undergoing a rite of passage through circumcision – considered one of the most important occasions for teenage boys as they progress into manhood.

Bless Julian said: "I want them to be circumcised so that they can achieve manhood. I want them to become tough and manly when they grow up."

For her two sons, Noriko and Kenjiru, being circumcised means they would not be teased by their friends anymore.

"I want to be circumcised so that I can grow taller and my classmates won't make fun of me anymore and call me uncircumcised and a paper bag," said Kenjiru.

It is because of such strong cultural pressures that these boys undergo circumcision.

Dr Michael Tan, an anthropologist, said: "It's really a ritual of passage from boyhood to manhood – it includes being able to bear the pain. There are many beliefs associated with it, that for you to be able to grow taller or even to have children, you need to go through the circumcision."

For these young boys, they are willing to endure all the pain and discomfort in the world, just to prove that they are now ready and able to face the challenges and responsibilities of becoming a man.

And in a predominantly Catholic nation, circumcision has also become a symbol of the covenant between man and God.

But health officials stress that circumcision also promotes proper hygiene and can even prevent the transmission of sexually related diseases.

That is why it is customary for different local government units all over the Philippines to hold free circumcision clinics every summer.

Virginia Navarro, Olongapo City Population Office, said: "Summer is the time that the children are on a long school break because it will take one to two weeks of healing period after circumcision."

"It's also for social hygiene. It's to make Filipino males clean, and cleanliness is close to godliness," said Mayor James Gordon Jr.

Dr Justine Daduya, Olongapo City Health Office, said: "This is for the health and sanitation of the youths as a person who is not circumcised is more prone to hidden bacteria and hidden fungi infection."


- CNA/so