Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Article (news)

Eon Sanchez, ABS-CBN News

Eon Sanchez

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — A week before the annual fiesta, vendors selling religious items have already started setting up near the Minor Basilica and Archdiocesan Shrine Parish of Santo Niño de Tondo in Manila, anticipating a surge in devotees.</p><p>As early as 5 a.m., stalls offering Sto. Niño replicas and colorful vestments were open around the basilica. While many of the vendors are there daily, they said they expect more buyers as the fiesta drew nearer.</p><p>Displayed on wooden shelves and makeshift tables are mini Sto. Niño replicas priced from P100 to P300. Life-sized images are also available, priced between P500 and P1,200.</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:514px;height:602px;display:block;flex-grow:1" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2010158327054123127&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-01-11T03%3A36%3A20.912223%3A41819be9-1fd9-45af-bb2b-b9273512f98e%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=421de9ff4ed3447604afe114e11d8830e0a460bb&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" data-tweet-id="2010158327054123127"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Devotees can also purchase garments for the Sto. Niño, ranging from P100 to P200, depending on the size and design.</p><p>Among the vendors is 75-year-old Erlinda Elloso, who has been selling religious images for 54 years, having started in Quiapo before settling near the Sto. Niño de Tondo shrine.</p><p>&quot;Pumasok akong tindera sa Quiapo. Piso ang sahod. Pinagtyagaan ko &#x27;yun,&quot; she recalled. &quot;&#x27;Yun lang ang alam kong hanapbuhay. Hindi ako nakapag-aral, hanggang Grade 6 lang ako.&quot;</p><p>Elloso said she shows up daily, offering prayers of thanksgiving after work.</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:514px;height:649px;display:block;flex-grow:1" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2010164079688827377&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-01-11T03%3A36%3A20.912223%3A41819be9-1fd9-45af-bb2b-b9273512f98e%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=421de9ff4ed3447604afe114e11d8830e0a460bb&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" data-tweet-id="2010164079688827377"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>&quot;Araw-araw nandiyan ako. Tapos sa gabi, pag-uwi, dito naman sa Blessed Sacrament. Papasalamat palagi,&quot; she said.</p><p>She shared that her earnings helped sustain her family through difficult times, including her husband’s illness.</p><p>&quot;Hindi ako bibitiw dyan. Marami na akong karanasan... kasi yung cancer ng asawa ko, naka-survive,&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;Tyaka dialysis, dito lang nanggaling yung mga ginagastos ko sa kanya. Wala akong hinihingan ng tulong, dito lang,&quot;</p><p>Jean De Jesus, a 15-year devotee and longtime customer of Elloso, said her family’s faith in the Sto. Niño remains strong. </p><p>“We hope the Sto. Niño continues to guide us, that 2026 will be orderly, with good health, financial stability, and love for one another,” she said.</p><p>The Sto. Niño de Tondo Fiesta 2026 will feature a series of religious activities at the minor basilica.</p><p>January 18 marks the Dakilang Kapistahan ng Mahal na Poong Sto. Niño de Tondo, with masses scheduled from 12 midnight until 11 p.m., a dawn procession at 4 a.m., and an evening procession at 7 p.m.</p><p>The Sto. Niño festival is one of the most enduring religious celebrations in the Philippines, where a majority identifies as Catholic.</p>

<p>A week before the annual fiesta of the Sto. Niño de Tondo, vendors selling religious items have already begun setting up near the Minor Basilica and Archdiocesan Shrine Parish of Santo Niño de Tondo in Manila, anticipating a surge in devotees.</p>

A week before the annual fiesta of the Sto. Niño de Tondo, vendors selling religious items have already begun setting up near the Minor Basilica and Archdiocesan Shrine Parish of Santo Niño de Tondo in Manila, anticipating a surge in devotees.

Vendors set up early for Sto. Niño de Tondo fiesta

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Vendors set up early for Sto. Niño de Tondo fiesta

Eon Sanchez,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 11, 2026 12:34 PM PHT

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