PNP tells Nazarene devotees: Avoid wearing caps, bringing of backpacks

Similar to the security protocol put in place for Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines last year, the Philippine National Police on Tuesday advised devotees who will attend the Black Nazarene procession in Manila on January 9 to refrain from wearing caps and carrying backpacks.

Police Sr. Supt. Rhoderick Armamento, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) officer in charge (OIC) for regional operations division, also appealed to the public not to bring umbrellas with pointed ends and to put their snacks in clear plastic containers as a security measure.

Armamento said the police remain alert for any unexpected occurrence during the procession even as they have not received any threat to the devotees’ safety.

“As of this very moment, wala tayong natatanggap na direct threat na magiging sagabal sa ginagawang preparation at pagdaraos ng prusisyon pero mas mabuti nang handa tayo,” he said during a press conference.

In anticipation of the massive crowd that will take part in the Traslacion, the PNP will deploy 4,000 policemen in areas along the procession route which will start from the Quirino Grandstand and end at the Quiapo Church.

Johnny Yu, OIC of the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said an estimated 13 million to 15 million devotees are expected to take part in what is considered to be the largest annual religious event in the country.

No mobile phone signals

As part of its security preparations for the Traslacion, Armamento said the PNP is considering shutting off cellular phone signals along the procession route.

“Kasama ‘yan (turning off cellphone signals) sa aming contingency planning. In fact nakikipag-coordinate na kami sa National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) na kung may ganyang situation [na kailanganin ‘yun] ay may nakahanda kaming preparasyon para sa ganoon,” he said.

In 2012, Malacañang asked the telecommunication companies to temporarily disconnect their services along the route of the Black Nazarene procession due to a security threat from a “local” terrorist group.

No major incident, however, was recorded during that year’s Traslacion.

Aside from heeding the security precautions issued by the PNP, the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene advised devotees to refrain from doing the following:

• wearing of jewelry
• using firecrackers
• passing through narrow streets along the procession route to avoid the risk of being injured when the Black Nazarene’s image arrives
• staying as a bystander along the procession route

Church officials also appealed to pregnant women, parents with small children and persons with disability to avoid taking part in the procession or approaching the throng of devotees to avoid any untoward incidents.

Mayor Joseph Estrada, the feast’s hermano mayor, said maintaining peace and order will be the foremost priority of all concerned local government agencies on January 9.

“I believe our main role and priority here is to keep peace and order, to ensure the safety of all the people in the procession, ensure that there will be no obstruction, and to maintain cleanliness of all roads where the procession will pass,” he said. — RSJ, GMA News