OVER 6.5 million devotees of the Black Nazarene welcomed the Traslacion, which made a grand comeback after a three-year hiatus in Manila yesterday as Filipinos showcased anew their deep devotion to the iconic centuries-old image of the black Christ.
While the PNP estimated the number of participants who joined the Traslacion at 3.3 million as of 6 p.m. yesterday, the Quiapo Church Command Center estimated the number of devotees who joined the grand procession at 6,532,501 also by 6 p.m.
After starting at 4:45 a.m., the Traslacion ended at 7:44 p.m. when the andas (carriage) bearing the iconic image of the black Christ reached the Quiapo Church.
“Official time 14:59:10… So far, among all the arrivals of the Traslacion, this is the fastest and a new record,” the Quiapo Church said last night.
“We thank our devotees as they followed our appeal for them to stay calm, cooperate, and adhere to our guidelines,” Quiapo Church Rector Fr. Jun Sescon said.
PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. said the procession was generally peaceful, adding there was no untoward incident reported, except for hundreds of people who sustained injuries or suffered illnesses during the event.
“Yes, peaceful and orderly. Everything went well so far,” Acorda told reporters at the Quiapo Church yesterday afternoon.
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) reported that 706 devotees sought medical attention after falling ill or sustaining injuries, six of them major cases, as of 8 p.m. yesterday.
The PRC said the major cases included head trauma (swelling), laceration, incision, fainting, severe chest pain, and suspected ankle fracture.
Additionally, 34 other patients were brought to either the PRC Emergency Field Hospital or the Philippine General Hospital suffering from fever, cough, dizziness, body weakness, vomiting, ankle sprain, chest pain, numbness, abdominal pain (pregnant), and second-degree burn.
“Everything went well, according to plan. There was no (untoward) incident reported and we hope this continues,” said Acorda.
He said 13,800 policemen from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) were deployed to secure the Traslacion, augmented by 4,000 personnel from “other agencies.”
In a press briefing at Camp Crame, PNP spokesman Col. Jean Fajardo said: “Except for minor illnesses and injuries, the Traslacion was generally peaceful so far.”
The PRC said 183 devotees experienced minor health issues such as abrasion, burn, dizziness, puncture, laceration, difficulty in breathing, chest pain, hyperventilation, wound, headache, elevated blood pressure, and infected wound.
The Red Cross said 257 devotees had their vital signs checked.
“The safety of every Filipino who attended this event is our top priority. We mobilized our volunteers to accommodate the medical needs of the devotees,” PRC chief Richard Gordon said in a statement.
Hours earlier, NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez said 3.2 million devotees joined the Traslacion.
“We monitored 3.2 million devotees, starting from the mass at the Quirino grandstand,” Nartatez said in a television interview.
VARYING NUMBERS
The number of devotees who joined the Traslacion varied depending on the area and time of the procession — down to around 500,000 in the narrow streets around Quiapo but rose to as much as 1,008,000 when it reached Quezon Boulevard.
The number did not include the crowd at the Quirino Grandstand estimated at 1.34 million before the procession started.
The number also excluded those attending the hourly Fiesta Masses at the Quiapo Church, estimated at 190,000.
The procession, which started at 4:45 a.m. at the Quirino Grandstand, is the first one held by the Quiapo Church since the onset of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in early 2020.
From 2021 to 2023, there was no grand procession due to community restrictions and health protocols being imposed.
The Traslacion also featured a new andas (carriage) as well as a laminated tempered glass case for the iconic image.
FAMILIAR PROBLEMS
The Traslacion still encountered familiar problems, with barefoot devotees continuously attempting to climb the andas as it inched its way through the route.
Most of the attempts were done at the back end of the andas, where a small part of the cross was exposed outside the glass case.
One of the two 50-meter ropes attached to the andas snapped around early afternoon.
According to Quiapo Church officials, the left rope snapped somewhere in Arlegui St. Devotees immediately brought the part of the snapped rope to the Quiapo Church.
SURPRISE START
Unlike in the past when the image of the black Christ was transferred from the Quirino Grandstand to the carriage, devotees were caught by surprise when they saw the image of the Black Nazarene already inside the glass case on top of the andas.
A yellow cloth covering the icon was lifted, signaling the start of the Traslacion.
In an interview, Sescon said this was their way of preventing the devotees from surging to the andas.
“We all know that in the past, we had encountered problems and delays to begin the procession,” Sescon said.”And because we are just coming out of the pandemic, we thought of alternative ways to have a calmer start, which is very important to the procession.”
The surprising start paved the way for the andas to move from the Quirino Grandstand towards Katigbak Drive in just 10 minutes, in contrast to previous processions where the andas took around 30 minutes before reaching the area fronting the Manila Hotel.
GARBAGE COLLECTION
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said eight truckloads of garbage were left by devotees.
MMDA Chairperson Romando Artes said the eight truckloads of garbage, equivalent to 95.70 cubic meters or 33.78 metric tons, were collected as of 4 p.m. yesterday.
The agency earlier deployed personnel from its Metro Parkways Clearing Group to collect garbage and clean up the Quirino Grandstand where the “Pahalik” or kissing of the image took place, Quiapo Church and along the six-kilometer procession routes.
During the last Traslacion in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency collected 47 truckloads of garbage, equivalent to 564 cubic meters or 160 metric tons.
Aside from its clean-up crew, the MMDA also deployed 850 personnel for traffic management, public safety, maintenance of peace and order, and emergency response operations during the event.
Artes said the agency’s Emergency Response Team also attended to 95 medical cases and 11 trauma cases among the devotees.
NAZARENE DEVOTEE
Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula said the true devotee of the Black Nazarene has Jesus Christ as his/her model in how one lives.
In his homily during the Misa Mayor at the Quirino Grandstand, Advincula told the faithful on how they can truly showcase devotion to the iconic image of the black Christ more than joining the annual “Traslacion.”
“A true devotee is a role model. The life of Jesus can be seen in how he lives his life. A devotee is a model of faith to the Holy Father and cares for others,” said Advincula.
“Whether at home or work, in the church or the streets, a devotee carries in his heart his encounter with Jesus… so he will always showcase his being Christ-like,” he added.
He urged devotees to show to one another how it is to be in the image and likeness of Christ.
“In pulling the rope, let us show Christ to those picking us up and fixing the knots of our problems. In pushing the andas, let us show how we can move forward to conversion,” he said.
“In guiding the andas, let us show others how Jesus is guiding us towards the right way. During the procession, let us help one another see Christ and experience His love,” added Advincula.
NATIONAL FEAST?
Quiapo Church Rector Fr. Jun Sescon expressed hope the next Feast of the Black Nazarene would no longer just be an event for the City of Manila but for the entire Philippines.
In his speech at the Quirino Grandstand, Sescon said they are hoping the Feast of the Black Nazarene would be a national feast by 2025.
“We pray that the next time we are gathered here, January 9 will be declared by the Church as a national feast in honor of the Black Nazarene,” said Sescon, adding they are waiting for the Vatican’s approval of the proposal to make January 9 a nationwide religious event.
According to CBCP News, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) approved the proposal back in July 2023 during its 126th Plenary Assembly.
“We want it to be a national feast for the Church so it is up to the bishops and the Pope to discuss this,” said Sescon.
In recent years, similar activities in honor of the Black Nazarene have been held in other parts of the country by those who couldn’t travel to Manila every January 9.
Last July 2023, the CBCP approved the petition to declare the Quiapo Church as a “national shrine” on January 29. — With Victor Reyes and Ashzel Hachero
