Joy and gratitude as Filipino pilgrims head to Saudi Arabia for Hajj

MANILA: When Rasmia Paniorotan’s daughter told her to get her passport ready, she could not have expected that it was in preparation for Hajj.

Though fulfilling the spiritual journey that is one of the five pillars of Islam has been a lifelong dream of hers, it had felt impossible to reach after she lost her family home and business in Marawi, the city that was destroyed by months of fighting between militants and government forces in 2017.

“When ground zero happened, everything was destroyed, we lost everything — our home, our business. Our daughter is the one who has been supporting us since,” Paniorotan told Arab News.

But earlier this year, her daughter, Najima, caught her and her husband by surprise.

“One day, she told us: ‘Prepare your passports.’ We asked why, and when she said it’s for the Hajj, we were wondering where we would get the money. She only said: ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it’,” Paniorotan said.

“I thought we would never be able to go. I lost hope and felt very sad … we never expected this; we had no idea. It was a complete surprise.”

Paniorotan said she was overcome with emotions as she departed for Saudi Arabia on Friday.

“Thank you, my child. Thank you very much,” she said. “I’m just happy. No matter what happens, I am going to Makkah.”

The 59-year-old is one of about 5,300 Filipinos who will perform the Hajj in 2026.

Muslims constitute about 10 percent of the country’s 110 million predominantly Catholic population. The majority live on the southern island of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, as well as in the central-western province of Palawan.

For many Filipino Muslims, performing the Hajj requires years-long saving, as the cost can reach up to 350,000 pesos, or about $5,700.

“Some save for years for this once-in-a-lifetime journey,” said Zainoden Usudan, who heads the pilgrimage bureau of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos.

“Before qualifying for Hajj, you must be physically, mentally and financially prepared. Among these, financial readiness is the most difficult.”

With Hajj expected to begin on May 25 this year, special pilgrimage flights carrying Philippine Muslims to Saudi Arabia started on May 1 and will run until May 8.

Soraya Marandacan, a pilgrim from Marawi who works as a school nurse, said she waited about 10 years to be able to save money and take part in the pilgrimage.

“I saved from every salary I received, even from my bonuses. Sometimes I would set aside 5,000 or 10,000 pesos ($81 to $162) every month until I was able to save enough,” she told Arab News.

Preparing for the Hajj took even longer for her as the family had to care for her sick husband, who died in December 2024 after battling colon cancer.

“The expenses were huge — it reached about 1.4 million pesos. My savings were used,” she said. “Now it’s just me and my five children — three in college, one who just graduated senior high school and one in grade six. I’m the only one supporting them.”

Marandacan’s Hajj journey is one of excitement and grief, as performing the pilgrimage had once been a shared dream with her husband. While she plans to one day fulfill it on behalf of her husband, for now she is focused on completing her own.

“I feel super excited. My body feels so light,” she said. “I’m finally going to the house of Allah.”