Over 10M devotees likely to join Nazarene Traslación — police official

Over 10 million devotees of the Black Nazarene might join the traditional Traslación on Saturday, a Manila police official said Friday.

In an interview, Manila Police District-Ermita ground commander Supt. Albert Barot told "News To Go" anchor Kara David that many devotees will have a chance to join because this year's  Traslación falls on a non-working day.

"Siguro aabot yan sa 10 milyon ... mas maraming mga deboto ang makaa-attend kasi walang pasok," said Barot when asked about his estimate on the number devotees possibly turning up for the event.

Barot also said that 1,600 police personnel will be deployed to ensure the safety of the devotees joining the procession.

"Aabot sa 1,600 ang ipakakalat nating mga tauhan ... tutulong din sa atin ang mga taga-MMDA at ang Bureau of Fire Protection," he added.

Barot also said that as of Friday morning some 15,000 devotees have already joined the "Pahalik" at the Quirino Grandstand, adding that the number would rise in the hours leading to the Traslación the next day.

For personal safety, Barot advised the devotees against wearing jewelry and expensive  items as these could motivate some people to commit a crime.

He also advised the men devotees against drinking liquor during the procession and discouraged pregnant women and children from joining. — LBG, GMA News