Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 7) — Thousands of devotees flocked to the streets of Quiapo in Manila for the return of the yearly procession of the image of the Black Nazarene on Good Friday.
The motorcade, which started a few minutes after 11 p.m. Thursday, lasted for about one hour and 30 minutes. Roughly 11,000 people marched along the vicinity of the Quiapo Church, according to the Manila Police District (MPD).
Authorities said they opted to begin the procession earlier than midnight to avoid any untoward incident. Security was tighter, with about 1,600 personnel deployed.
“We can say na very successful at nailatag lahat ng plano,” MPD Director PBGen. Andre Dizon said when asked about their assessment.
[Translation: We can say that it was very successful, and we were able to execute the plan well.]
Fr. Earl Valdez, attached priest of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, shared the sentiment, noting the discipline of the devotees.
“Ito pong ruta na we are supposed to cover ay nadaanan natin. Nakita natin na mapayapa at sumusunod ang ating mga deboto,” Valdez told reporters
“Kahit papa’no, ‘yung pakiramdam na pananabik ng mga tao, naisakonteksto, naisalugar, napirmi. Alam nila na kung may kaguluhang naganap, hindi matutuloy,” he added.
[Translation: We were able to follow the designated route. The procession was peaceful, and our devotees were obedient. People must have learned to at least control their excitement. They knew any commotion could stop the procession.]
Charlotte Mae Colon, who came all the way from Leyte, said it was her first time to see upclose the image of the Black Nazarene.
“Natuwa ako sobra kasi ilang years tayong nagkaroon ng pandemic [I was so happy because we were not able to do this for years because of the pandemic],” Charlotte said. “Very [overwhelming] and exciting.”
Long-time devotees John Paolo Oliveros and Adeng Reybas also could not hide their excitement. They both wished they could have at least laid a hand on the image of the holy statue.
\”Talagang sanay ako na naghahawak ng lubid, sumasampa sa karosa — ‘yung natural talagang tradisyon. ‘Yun po sana ‘yung gusto naming maibalik, pero masaya pa rin kami,” John Paolo said.
[Translation: I’m used to the tradition of holding the rope to pull the Black Nazarene or riding on the carriage itself. That’s what I really wanted to experience again, but I’m happy.]
“Okay naman. Pero sa susunod… sana ilabas naman ‘yung Poon para mabuhay na ‘yung tunay na panata talaga,” Adeng said as the carriage of the Nazarene was sealed with transparent cover.
[Translation: It was okay. But I hope we’d get to see the actual image of the Black Nazarene again next time to fully relive the tradition.]
The annual Good Friday procession was called off in 2022 due to crowd control problems. It was supposed to be the first after two years amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officials said the cooperation of devotees, which drove the success of the procession this time around, could be a “good sign” for the possible return of the Traslacion in 2024.
“Ito rin siguro ‘yung kanilang expression na gusto na nilang maranasan muli ‘yung Traslacion,” the MPD director said.
[Translation: This is perhaps their way of expressing how much they want to experience Traslacion again.]
“Masasabi ko pong positibong tanda ito,” Valdez said. “Itong improvement natin dito ay magiging benchmark natin sa mga susunod na pagpaplano.”
