A MAN carried a Caucasian-looking kid garbed in Sto. Niño costume to the delight of some devotees during the annual Sinulog Festival in Cebu City.
The video, uploaded by Tiktok user @dikomasaba, has become viral with over 4.5 million views.
“Ka gwapa ani buyag oy (You are beautiful my dear),” @dikomasaba wrote.
It’s not known from the video whether the kid is a boy or a girl. Many thought the Sto. Niño look-alike is a girl because of his/ her beautiful golden brown curls.
The kid looked like he/she was having fun, flying kisses to the crowd while he/she is being paraded by a man wearing in black facemask.
‘Miracle baby’
GMA’s Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho spoke with Mitch, the Filipino mother of the kid. It turns out the kid is a girl, and named her “Niña.” She looks Caucasian because her father is Australian.
“Sabi ng doktor imposible po akong magkaanak kasi mababa ‘yung matres ko,” Mitch said.
So she made it as a personal vow to pray novena every Friday and complete the nine masses leading up to the Sinulog Festival.
Her prayers were answered four years later. She got pregnant.
“Nabuntis na ako pagkatapos ng novena mass. ‘Yung papa ng baby, umuwi sa Cebu galing Australia January, nalaman ko na buntis ako February. Masayang masaya po kasi natupad po ‘yung hiling ko,” she said.
However, upon delivery at the hospital, the doctors declared the baby dead.
“Pinikit ko lang ‘yung mata ko at nag-pray na, ‘Sr. Sto. Niño wala akong ibang hiling,'” Mitch said.
Her baby survived and become a blessing to the family. With the resumption of Sinulog after the pandemic, they decided to parade Niña as thanksgiving.
Tiktok comment section
Tiktok users were amazed at how the kid looked like a Sto. Niño.
“Nagulat ako nung gumalaw HAHA,” John Joshua Baraba commented.
“Dapat may extra battery po kayo baka ma lowbatt,” Zenzen suggested.
Original uploader @dikomasaba gamely replied, “Chargeable po yata bwahaah”
“nawala antok ko whahahahahahaha,” BLABLA mused.
@Ruru says the seemingly moving image scared the wits out of him. “Natakot ako ng ilang segundo 😂😂”
A woman with account name user656138615786 prayed that the sight could be a sign for a miracle in her life. “Ang cute Sana may Milagro 🥰🥰🥰 na mabuntis nako this years🥰😘”
The video was uploaded last Tuesdsay, midweek leading to the culmination of the grand procession of Sinulog Festival in Cebu.
Thousands of devotees of Sto. Niño flocked to Cebu for the resumption of the biggest festivities of the Holy Infant Jesus.
It turns out, twas a night of parade of Sto. Niño kids.
A number of Sinulog devotees even touched on Niña, like the common practice of revering the icon.
Another kid was also paraded, wearing a Sto. Niño costume, with a crown and black long curls.
