‘Circumcision season’ returns to the Philippines after pandemic delays

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…