Proper coordination cuts Nazarene procession to 18 hours

MANILA, Philippines - Proper coordination between government and non-government organizations led to the successful procession of the image of the Black Nazarene from the Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church last Wednesday, a church official said yesterday.

Quiapo Church rector Monsignor Clemente Ignacio said that compared to the procession last year which lasted for 22 hours, the procession last Wednesday was cut to 18 hours.

The tires of the Black Nazarene’s carriage were also able to endure the pulling, pushing and the heavy load it carried, he said.

There were also no reported terrorist threats, which was why cellular phone signals were not blocked.

Most of all, no fatalities were reported, he said.

The Philippine Red Cross said yesterday that they attended to 1,485 devotees at the agency’s first aid, health and water and welfare desks around Quiapo Church and along the procession route.

“I am happy with the response of those who served, all the government agencies. They were united and well coordinated. National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina was there the whole day running the command center,” said Ignacio.

Officials from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, Philippine Red Cross and various media organizations were at the command center.

He added that officials from the Manila Police District were on the ground.

Ignacio said he was also surprised by the bigger turnout of devotees last Wednesday.

“There were more devotees. I was surprised by the size of the crowd. There were those who said that the number was 10 percent more than the expected eight million crowd, but in our observation, it was even more than a 10 percent increase,” he said.

Ignacio said he is hoping that the devotees will continue to live their faith even after the feast of the Black Nazarene. – With Sheila Crisostomo