FYI - The Manila Times from last spring - although it almost reads as satire, and I have no doubt but that the Catholic Church does not approve:
“The Department of Health (DOH) on Holy Tuesday strongly advised penitents to first check on the condition of the whip they will use before they lash their backs with it this Holy Week.
The department warned that dirty whips could lead to tetanus and other infections.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd said that since it is hard to discourage flagellants from whipping their own flesh, the best penitents can do is ensure that their whips are well-maintained.
In San Fernando City, Pampanga, some 23 penitents, two of them women, have signed up to reenact Christ’s crucifixion in three separate improvised Golgothas in the city. Four penitents were scheduled to have themselves nailed on the cross...The ritual has become a tourist attraction and merited a support of P250,000 from the city government.”
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/mar/19/yehey/top_stories/20080319top5.html
In all fairness, Protestants in the Philippines also encounter a deep-rooted spiritism that frustrates Pastors.
Like I said,
“There are some wierd syncretic pagan practices, such as self-crucifixion, which make the news every Easter, but the Catholic Church works hard to put an end to this, since it is pagan, not Christian; I’ve never known of a single instance of it in America, and it would probably make the news, or certain Alex Murphy’s posts if it did.”