Traslacion 2026: Piles of garbage scatter along procession route

Piles of garbage scattered in parts of Manila during the Traslacion 2026.

According to Oscar Oida's Friday report on "24 Oras," the city's sanitation workers immediately cleaned up the streets that the andas, or the carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazarene, passed through during the grand procession.

Long lines, meanwhile, crowded the portalets, or the portable restrooms provided by the city government, due to the huge volume of attendees.

Zero-waste advocate EcoWaste Coalition earlier lamented the unchecked littering in Manila amid the Traslacion.

The Traslacion started early Friday morning after the andas, or the carriage with the image, departed the Quirino Grandstand at 4 a.m. after the “Panalangin sa Bukang Liwayway,” or the morning prayer.

Meanwhile, members of some faith groups formed a human barrier along the andas to prevent the devotees from climbing the carriage.

Some participants attempted to climb the carriage, clinging to the lever at the back portion of the carriage along Finance Road. This was despite the prohibition on climbing.

"Ang instruction samin ng aming leader ay masala namin muna ito kahit pakonti-konti ang tao para hindi yung total volume ang susunod sa andas," a devotee said.

(Our leader instructed us to hold off and try to lessen the volume of people that would follow the andas.)

During Traslacion, the 400-year-old black image of Jesus Christ is moved from the Quirino Grandstand to the Quiapo Church as part of the activities for the Feast of Jesus Nazareno.

Devotees who participate in the procession are barefoot as a sign of humility. They endure hours of physical discomfort just to touch the statue. They believe the image is miraculous, as it has survived several disasters, including fires and earthquakes.

The grand procession usually draws millions of Catholic devotees from across the country, with over 8 million joining the tradition in 2025 alone. —Sundy Locus/VBL, GMA Integrated News