As dawn unfolded on 2 May in the town of Alitagtag in the predominantly Tagalog province of Batangas, about a hundred kilometers south of Manila, the Invencion de la Santa Cruz Parish Church stirred to the sound of a recorded hymn. Inside the church, parishioners prepared to bring out their most venerated image and relic: the Poong Santa Cruz, or the Holy Cross.

The cross has already been placed before the altar, its wooden body sheathed in polished silver-toned metal and resting on a globular base. At its intersection gleamed a gold-toned, radiant sun, while stylized rays extended from its back. Draped over the image was richly embroidered velvet, its floral and vine patterns embellished with beadwork and metallic trim. Beside it stood its standard, likewise adorned with elaborate designs.

The evening before, the image underwent the pagpapaligo, or ritual bathing. In the neighboring town of Bauan, its own Holy Cross image had been bathed on 22 April. Both parishes also held the pagsisiyam or novena, the nine days of preparatory prayers, Masses, and rituals leading to the Pagtatagpo ng Magkapatid na Krus, an annual extra-liturgical Catholic tradition shared by the two towns.

By six in the morning, the Holy Cross of Alitagtag was carried out of the church and placed on a pickup truck bound for the barangay of Concordia, at the boundary between Alitagtag and Bauan. There, devotees approached the cross, touching it with reverence, whispering prayers, and waiting for the arrival of its counterpart from Bauan.

After nearly an hour, the Bauan cross arrived. The two crosses — known as the Magkapatid na Krus, literally “sibling crosses” — were placed side by side, their reunion renewing a bond shaped by faith, local history, and stories passed down through generations.

According to local lore, the Holy Crosses of Bauan and Alitagtag came from one large cross made of anubing wood, believed by devotees to have protected the towns from bad spirits, harm, and calamities, including the eruption of Taal Volcano. When Alitagtag became a separate town from Bauan in 1910, the Holy Cross was divided into two, giving rise to the Magkapatid na Krus: one for Bauan and one for Alitagtag.