Palace declares January 9 a holiday in Manila

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang has declared Jan. 9 as a special non-working day in the city of Manila for the celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene.

In Proclamation 766 issued yesterday, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin noted that “millions of devotees are expected to flock (to) the Quiapo Church and the city of Manila.”

“In order to ensure orderly procession of devotees and to facilitate the flow of traffic, the City of Manila requests that Jan. 9, 2025 be declared a special (non-working) day in the City of Manila,” the proclamation read.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) announced that it would not issue a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) regarding the “no-fly, no-drone zones” in the vicinity of Quirino Grandstand and Quiapo Church during the Traslacion on Jan. 9.

According to the CAAP, the grandstand and the church fall within RP-P1, a category that refers to a permanently restricted airspace where lateral and vertical flying are prohibited within a two-nautical-mile radius and up to 5,500 feet from Malacañang.

Since unauthorized flights, including drones, are already banned in this permanently restricted zone, CAAP said it does not see the need for an additional NOTAM specific to the Traslacion.

The agency also reiterated its commitment to maintain a secured and controlled airspace, particularly during large public events like the Traslacion.

Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, National Capital Region Police Office director, earlier said over 14,000 police officers and other security personnel would secure the annual event.

The Black Nazarene, known to devotees as the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno de Quiapo, is a life-sized, ebony-colored  wooden sculpture of Jesus Christ, believed to be miraculous.

New NAIA security proposal

Meanwhile, the New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), which operates and manages the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals, has recommended the revision of the security setup between the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) at the departure area.

If the proposal is approved, the OTS will be handling the first screening of all departing travelers ahead of the BI immigration process, to reduce passenger complaints.

Kim Marquez, OTS spokesperson, noted the complaints filed by passengers whose passports were stamped and cleared by immigration officials, but who were offloaded due to security concerns.

Marquez said the security screening and x-ray process must come ahead of the immigration procedures, as done in many other countries.

“This proposal is to reduce the number of complaints received from passengers. Once passengers finish and go through the immigration process, they will no longer be allowed to go out. But what if a passenger needs to be offloaded because an item or items that are prohibited were found (in their luggage)?” Marquez said.