‘Circumcision season’ returns to the Philippines after pandemic delays

Mass circumcisions were common in the Philippines before the pandemic, with hundreds of boys undergoing free outdoor surgery every day

But last year, the ‘circumcision season’ was cancelled for the first time in living memory because of Covid-19

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Boys are seen taking part in a mass circumcision event in Silang town, the Philippines’ Cavite province, earlier this summer. Photo: AFP

Agence France-Pressein Silang, the Philippines

Published: 1:23pm, 30 Aug 2021Updated: 4:09pm, 31 Aug 2021

For more than a year, Caspien Gruta has been teased because his circumcision – a rite of passage for boys in the Philippines – was delayed, first by a volcanic eruption and then the coronavirus pandemic.

“I worry if I don’t get circumcised now, I will be shamed,” said Gruta, 12.

The Philippines has one of the highest rates of circumcision in the world, with many seeing the centuries-old practice as key for boys to enter manhood.

Even as circumcision comes under increasing scrutiny elsewhere, with some critics branding it “child abuse”, it is rarely questioned in the Philippines and boys face tremendous pressure to undergo the procedure.

Every year, thousands of preteens have the operation for free at government or community-sponsored clinics.

But last year, the “circumcision season” was cancelled for the first time in living memory because of the virus outbreak, delaying the milestone for many boys like Gruta.

Left in limbo – and with their foreskin intact – the boys have been ridiculed by their male relatives and friends.

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