Queen Virgin Mary & Child Jesus Christ of the Holy Family

1. MOTHER MARY AS THE “INA POON BATO”
(The Mother Lord Rock)
The “Ina Poón Bató” (in English: literally translated as “Mother Lord Rock”) - is believed
to be a miraculous Marian image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with the shrine located in
the rural village named “Poonbato” in Zambales (Philippines within the Asian region);
and is also known to be a “syncretized image” (or an attempt to reconcile differing
peoples, religious beliefs, cultural elements, or schools of thought);
Legend has it that before the arrival of the Spanish Empire in the Philippines (in the 17th
century), the local Aeta tribespeoples had discovered a carved wooden statue on a
large rock that they called “Apo Apang” (or "Little Queen", in their language); and the
pagan tribespeople then began worshiping the image (unknowingly that it was actually a
Catholic image of Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ);
HOW THE TRIBESPEOPLE FOUND MARY’S IMAGE
The Aetas tribespeople are an indigenous native peoples (originally from Africa), that
live as self-sufficient tribal villages scattered throughout the isolated mountainous parts
of the island of Luzon (in the Philippines); as they are also called “Negritos” (a term
popularized by the Spanish Western colonizers in the country, to describe the people
who are dark-skinned, short in height, with curly hair, and having lean bodies);
One day, during a time of drought, at around the 1600s (or over 400 hundred years
ago), the chieftain of the Aeta tribespeople (named Djadig) was resting from an
unsuccessful hunt; then he heard a woman's voice calling him, "Djadig, Djadig, take me
home with you!";
He looked around and found a carved wooden statue of a woman's image atop a large
rock; he thought the image was that of a beautiful lady and he gave the image to his
wife, but his wife didn’t see her image and likeness in the wooden statue, so she threw it
into the fire to show her disappointment (and for not bringing food for their children);
However, the fire flared and the kitchen wall caught fire, then the whole house burned
down; but the wooden image of the lady was not even scorched; then the tribal chieftain
announced the miracle to his tribespeople, and since then they venerated the Mother
Mary image;
CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES ASTONISHED
In 1607, shortly after the Augustinian Recoleto Missionaries (or Recollect Catholic
missionaries from Spain) arrived in Zambales Province (to preach Christianity in the
lands), they have heard stories of the “Miraculous Lady of the Aetas” (that the
indigenous tribespeople have been venerating);

2. The Catholic priests thought that it was part of the people’s pagan worship, so they
wanted to see the worshiped idol statue; and upon seeing the image, the Catholic
missionaries were amazed; as a young friar exclaimed: "This is unbelievable! It's our
Blessed Mother! How can she be here ahead of us?!"; then the older priest said, "She
must have paved the way for our coming!";
The friars transferred the Virgin Mary image from the tribespeople’s religious shrine to
the Roman Catholic Church (where it stayed for hundreds of years); then the indigenous
tribespeople associated their statue with the Roman Catholic depictions of the Virgin
Mary, and the Marian image was subsequently Christianized with the name “Ina Poón
Bato” (or “Mother Lord Rock"); then the tribespeople were Christianized;
One theory on where the “Ina Poon Bato” statue came from could have been from the
Portugese colonizers (that occupied Macau in China around the 1550s decades before
the Spaniards arrived in Asia), whom were also Roman Catholics appointed by the
Pope in Rome, but in competition with the Spanish colonizers then; thus, the image
could have perhaps come from a sunken ship then it was washed ashore, or the image
was given by Portugese sailors to the tribespeople;
TWO IMAGES: WHAT IS TRUE? WHAT IS ORIGINAL?
In 1981, moved by an inner prompting, Mother Therese (a Filipina nun and foundress of
the “Holy Face of Jesus”), borrowed the original “Ina Poon Bato” image and brought it to
the home of a lay woman (named Mother Rose) for her to promote the devotion; and
with the help of the mother, the Roman Catholic diocese of Zambales province (that
was under Bishop Byrne), then gave the devotion and the mission an ecclesiastical
approval;
However, Father Patrick (a priest who ordered a replica of the “Ina Poon Bato” image in
1976) then asked Mother Rose to replace his statue at the grotto (which was only the
replica of the “Ina Poon Bato” image), that was damaged due to exposure to the rain
and sunlight; then it was restored by Mother Rose;
Then Father Patrick gave the replica statue of the “Ina Poon Bato” image to Mother
Rose as a gift - which is now known as the International Pilgrim Image that has been
canonically blessed by Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter Square in Vatican City (Rome);
thus, a question on whether the original icon was actually still with Mother Rose;
But since then, the devotion to “Ina Poon Bato” (Mother Lord Rock) image has spread to
all the Dioceses in the Philippines; and Mother Rose went around the province and the
country, and visited various states in the United States of America, Europe and Asian
countries to promote the devotion to the Mother Mary image;
The “Ina Poon Bato” (Mother Lord Rock) image was canonically blessed by Pope John
Paul II in 1985 at a ceremony at Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican City (in Rome,
Italy); and Mother Rose was accompanied by the Archbishop in the Philippines; then a

3. large religious organization grew among the laity (or lay people of no religious rank), but
was headed by Mother Rose, a lay person (as she sponsored Masses, regular
meetings, and provided motherly guidance to the devotees);
WHO SHOULD BE “MOTHER LORD ROCK”?
According to one story, there were conflicts between the Roman Catholic Church
(based in the Vatican City in Rome, Italy) and that of the “Philippine Independent
Church” (also known as the Aglipayan Church) - an independent Christian denomination
in the form of a national church in the Philippines, wherein members of a labor union
(composed of poor workers) proclaimed its religious independence in 1902 due to the
alleged mistreatment of the indigenous Filipinos by the Spanish priests during the
Spanish colonial rule (in connivance with the Roman Catholic Church), including the
execution of Dr. Jose Rizal (the country’s National Hero that exposed the collaboration
between the national government and that of the government of the Vatican City in
Rome, with its other appointed Western Empires that instead disadvantaged the
Christian peoples whom instead became their slaves); however, the independent
Christian church has the same Catholic practices, beliefs, and also holds Masses - but
not in communion with the Vatican City (in Rome);
Then in 1986, when the Philippine Revolution came (as an uprising from the common
people who ousted the government regime), the religious patriot rebels had executed
the Roman Catholic parish priest, and they allegedly took the “Ina Poon Bato” image
and brought it to their “Philippine Independent Church”; thus, another question if the
original image is with Mother Rose, or the one at the “Philippine Independent Church”;
Thus, as the feast of “Ina Poón Bató” is celebrated every late January - one group of
devotees flock to the image inside a chapel belonging to the “Philippine Independent
Church” (that many believe is the original image); while another group of devotees flock
to the image inside a chapel belonging to the Roman Catholic Church (but approved by
the “Pope in Rome” of the Vatican City); while the Aeta tribespeople continues to do
public religious processions for the icon’s original identity as the “Miraculous Lady of the
Aetas” (tribespeople);
EATHQUAKE & VOLCANIC ERUPTION AS GOD’S SIGN
The “1990 Luzon earthquake” struck the Philippines with a 7.7 magnitude; as thousands
have perished and millions devastated due to the aftermath of the natural disasters; but
little that people know, that the earthquake was just a sign for the upcoming natural
disaster – a very powerful volcanic eruption;
One year after the strong 1990 earthquake, on June 1991, Mount Pinatubo volcano
erupted in Zambales - the same province where the shrine of the “Ina Poon Bato” image
is located (or less than 38 km or 24 miles distance); then the volcanic eruption was
followed by a powerful rainstorm that caused heavy floods of strong mud flows mixed
with ashes due to the unending rains, and then it destroyed the original rural village;

4. But the Mother Mary image was found intact, however buried chest-deep in the lahar
mud; then the “Ina Poon Bato” Marian shrine was moved to the nearby Aeta
tribespeople resettlement area of “Loob-Bunga” (in English: “Inside-Flowers”); located in
Botolan municipality in Zambales province (where many of the poor tribespeople now
live in poverty as self-sufficient family communities);
At the same period after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo (or translated in English as “the
mountain made to grow”), Pope John Paul II (who was the current “Pope in Rome”)
received a Marian statue of “Ina Poon Bato” image from the devotees in the Philippines,
and then he led a prayer for the victims of the volcanic eruptions;
NATURAL DISASTERS EXPELLED SETTLEMENTS
The “Mount Pinatubo eruption” is among the largest terrestrial eruptions of the 20th
century (with an explosive force that’s 8 times greater than that of Mount Saint Helens
volcanic eruption in the United States, or up to 12,800 times the disastrous force of the
atomic bomb dropped by the US to the City of Hiroshima in Japan);
Moreover, the Mount Pinatubo eruption was among the worst natural disasters when
Typhoon Yunya brought in a lethal mix of ash and heavy rains wherein flashfloods and
the swelling of rivers then buried many villages, towns and cities surrounding the
volcano (as up to 10 million people living around the area were affected);
The effects of the eruption were felt worldwide as the 5,000 foot volcano ejected 10
billion tons of gas-charged magma (at 80,000 feet or 24,000 miles in altitude), bringing
vast quantities of minerals and toxic metals to the earth’s atmosphere; and over the
following months, the thick layer of volcanic ash in the atmosphere then shielded the
sun’s rays (that warms the earth), and in effect, it caused the global temperatures to
drop by about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) within 3 years;
FOREIGN MILITARY BASES LEFT
Two US military bases were near the volcano – the Subic Bay Naval Base (for the US
Navy) and the Clark Air Base (for the US Airforce); constructed since 1947 after World
War II (that ended in 1945), as part of the 23 US Bases in the Philippines as an
agreement between the Philippine government and the US government (to use the
lands without paying any rent; but financed yearly by billions of American money); and
allegedly, the US bases were part of the agreement for the United States to grant full
independence to the Republic of the Philippines (that was held on July 4, 1946);
However, the devastated Capital City of Manila (after the “Battle of Manila” in 1945,
between the US forces and Japanese forces that killed from 250,000 up to 500,000
Filipinos) - was not part of the US government spending (of billions of dollars) for the
agreed 23 US bases (with sizes of only 12 to 262 square miles, and many were as
close as 30 miles or 48 kilometers from Manila, while another was in the city itself);

5. Moreover, allegedly the military bases were used mostly for “recreation” (and not fully
maximized during the Vietnam War and Korean War within Asia); and the military bases
were not able to defend even tiny reefs and islands claimed by the country’s
neighboring countries (that subsequently established military bases on those islands);
However, the two military bases near the volcano were then buried with tons of whitish-
grey sandy ash (with volcanic rocks), while many buildings collapsed; thus, the US
military bases were immediately evacuated (then abandoned by the US government,
and the rights were immediately transferred to the Philippine government, then opened
for investments by private businesses, as a trading port, for public recreation, and
reestablishing residential communities);
During the emergency evacuation (that the US military called “Operation Fiery Vigil”),
dozens of US warships, aircraft carriers, and cargo planes became useful then, as more
than 30,000 American military soldiers, personnel, and their families left the Philippines
and went to Guam (a small US territory) for their safety; and the families left their
belongings that many were eventually sold, and the proceeds became part of the
donations for the disaster victims;
Amidst the US agreement for the US military bases that includes “to improve the social
and economic conditions in regions adjacent to the bases” – only the United Nations
(representing the United States), the nations in Western Europe (i.e. Netherlands,
Germany, Sweden, UK, etc.), and Australia, etc. provided financial support (without any
mention of the Vatican City or Italy); while up to 90% of all spending on the deserted
bases and the victims of the calamities were shouldered by the Philippine government,
and the Filipino citizens;
DEVOTION
The Ever-Blessed Virgin Mary is venerated under many Marian titles; as this reflects
Her divinity as the chosen woman most blessed among all, and the widespread
devotion accorded the young poor girl from the rural town of Nazareth as the “Queen of
Heaven and Earth”;
The festival “Ina Poon Bato” (Mother Lord Rock) stems from the homage to a religious
artifact deemed to be able to perform miracles; as it is believed that women who take
the role of “Ina Poon Bato” (Mother Lord Rock) also leaves behind blessings and
miracles, including cures for better health and family welfare;
And women are said to be empowered to be the “Mother Lord Rock”, with a mission of
bringing help and hope to those she visits in hospitals, churches, offices and family
homes, as she (with the blessings from Mother Mary as entrusted by God) then
strengthens the faith of those she encounters in bringing them closer to Her Son, Jesus
Christ;

6. Many international seers and healers in the Christian community (mostly women) have
also become devotees of the “Ina Poon Bato” (Mother Lord Rock) image; such as Sister
Philip Marie Burle (an American nun whose a member of the Most Precious Blood
Community in the United States), a healer and co-author of "You will Receive Power
Program", who travels with the Marian image in her Bible;
The title “Ina Poon Bato” is popularly called "Apo Apang" by among her devotees at the
“Philippine Independent Church” (in Zambales province); and this points to the original
title from which the present image derived inspiration from, namely: “Nuestra Senora de
la Paz y Buen Viaje” (or “Our Lady of Peace & Good Voyage”); wherein "Apang" in local
dialect is a common word for "Paz" (meaning “peace” in Spanish); thus, the “Ina Poon
Bato” (Mother Lord Rock) is believed to be the bearer of peace to individuals, families,
associations, villages, towns and provinces;
PRAYER FOR PEACE
“Heavenly Mother Mary, in the image of “Ina Poon Bato” (Mother Lord Rock), you
promised peace if the sinful world turns to your Immaculate Heart; so we turn to you in
the holy spirit of penance, and with filial confidence as your own children;
O Merciful Immaculate Heart, please obtain for us peace in our hearts; so please send a
just and lasting peace to the world; and make God’s justice and righteousness triumph
over all godless forces, over hatred, tyranny and sins;
Please, O Heavenly Mother, mercifully protect all families as your own family, our Holy
Mother Church (represented by all mothers), and our Holy Father (represented by all
fathers); so please guard our Christian family homes who believes in your Divine Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ (whom with you are part of the Holy Family in Heaven);
O Holy Mary, Mother of God, have pity upon mankind in its misery, sufferings and
helplessness to improve one’s spiritual life; but please prove to all nations the wonderful
love of your Immaculate and Maternal Heart; so please lead them to your Divine Son
Child Jesus, to His peace and endless joy.” Amen.
(researched)