Shaveta Bansal - All Headline News Contributor

Manila police officers acted as the 12 apostles in a series of Masses and on Easter Sunday, the northern town of Minalin will explode a life-size effigy of biblical traitor Judas.

Despite the constitutional separation of church and state, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her cabinet went on a two-day retreat "to reflect on the suffering of Jesus Christ".

Asia's only Roman Catholic nation, the Philippines has marks of faith carved on the country's cities. In some parts of Manila, buildings are crowned with neon religious proverbs, cars are decked out with miniature icons and rosary beads, government offices have shrines to Mary, and national newspapers feature daily extracts from the bible.