Feast of the Black Nazarene: 11 M devotees seen to attend procession

MANILA, Philippines - The government is expecting at least 11 million devotees to take part in an annual procession featuring the image of the Black Nazarene and millions more to wait along the route of the procession, officials said yesterday.

Last year’s procession was reportedly the “longest” on record since it took more than 22 hours to transport the image from the Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said over radio station dzBB.

Around 6.9 million devotees took part in the procession, according to Superintendent Rey Nava, MPD Traffic Enforcement Unit chief.

Valte said National Capital Region Police Office chief Director Leonardo Espina has been meeting with church officials and local government authorities to coordinate preparations taken for the procession.

She said while it was a “unique” situation last year – following reports of a possible terrorist attack, the government jammed cell phone signals in the area – this year’s “preparations will be equally tight.”

Senior Superintendent Robert Po said cell phone firms would probably shut down services in areas along the procession route as a security measure against bomb threats. He added that this year’s preparation is more elaborate since they are expecting more people to join the procession.

Nava said the more than 3,000 policemen from various districts in Metro Manila will be deployed along the procession route along with personnel from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, paramedics from different health organizations and other stakeholders.

He said those helping secure the event held a dry run at the Quirino Grandstand yesterday. Tomorrow, a procession of Black Nazarene replicas will be held from the grandstand to the Quiapo Church.

Classes suspended

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim said they will cancel classes in city-run schools that would be affected by the procession.

He said classes will be suspended in Manila Science High School, Araullo High School, Mabini Elementary School, Geronimo Santiago Elementary School, V. Mapa High School, Manila High School, Ramon Avanceña High School, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and the Universidad de Manila (previous known as the City College of Manila).

Lim said it will be up to officials of private schools to cancel classes on Wednesday. “But I suggest that they suspend classes (in) schools situated in the University Belt because these are near the routes of the procession,” he said.

MMDA, PCG step in

The MMDA will deploy 1,100 of its personnel around the church and along the procession route to help in traffic management, public safety and emergency response, MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said yesterday.

The agency will also ensure that ambulances and other road emergency vehicles, traffic patrol cars, tugboats, and surveillance and communication vehicles are stationed along the route.

The MMDA’s Metro Parkway Clearing Group will set up portalets along the procession route and conduct a cleanup after the procession.

The Philippine Coast Guard, on the other hand, will deploy 100 of its personnel along waterways near the procession route, PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said.

Since there have been instances of devotees falling into the Pasig River when they scramble to touch the image, Balilo said they will have members of three Special Operations Groups, five rubber boats, two rigid hull inflatable boats, four water craft, three medical teams, three ambulances and nine K-9 units on hand along the Pasig River, at the North Harbor, the Quirino Grandstand, Manila Hotel and United States embassy.

The PCG will also use its helicopter to get an aerial view of the situation during the procession, he said. – With Evelyn Macairan, Mike Frialde