Black Nazarene procession draws up to 1M devotees, says PNP

The annual procession of the Black Nazarene has so far been “generally peaceful,” the national police chief said Wednesday.

Save for 477 minor injuries, the police have recorded no untoward incidents during the Traslacion, Director General Oscar Albayalde told reporters in an interview.

No casualty has been recorded so far, he added.

The popular Catholic activity has drawn 800,000 to one million devotees as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The procession started around 5 a.m. 

The number includes those who participated in all the events related to the feast—the masses, the procession and the pahalik rites at the  Quirino Grandstand.

He added that 7,000 police officers and more than 2,000 military personnel are securing the procession route from the Quirino Grandstand to the Quiapo Church in Manila.

While he claimed authorities have not received security threats, the “high” threat level in Mindanao prompted them “not [to] take any chances here in Metro Manila.”

The main body of the procession was in Arlegui Street as of shortly before 4 p.m., and if the pace continues, Albayalde estimates the Black Nazarene may be returned to the Quiapo Church more than one hour earlier than it did last year.

He also said the cellphone signal jamming in parts of Manila, which he claimed is usually used for detonating improvised explosive devices, has been successful.

As of 4 p.m., the 12th hourly mass of the day, the crowd at Quiapo Church and its surrounding areas has ballooned to 130,000, according to police estimates. —NB, GMA News