Hundreds of thousands of Catholic pilgrims swarmed the streets of Manila in search of a miracle Thursday, straining to reach a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ in an annual display of religious fervor.

The procession to the Philippine capital's Quiapo Church, which started before dawn after an open-air mass, was expected to swell to more than two million participants from across the heavily Catholic country, church officials said.

Barefoot men and women in maroon shirts — the color of the robe that covers the black, wooden Jesus of Nazarene statue — scrambled to grab the rope used to draw the life-sized religious icon, believing it would bring good health.

"I prayed that my mother be healed from her heart attack," Dong Lapira, 54, told AFP of a previous procession where he had been bruised and jostled in his attempt to join those pulling the rope.

But he vowed to try again Thursday — this time to see his wife healed of gallstones.

"The Nazarene is very sacred. It has granted many prayers," he added.

Some faithful frantically threw white towels to worshippers tasked with guarding the float, hoping God's blessings might rub off on the cloth as it was used to clean the statue's glass case.

One of the volunteer guards, Alvin Olicia, 38, told AFP he was unaffected by the "extreme heat or rain" he had confronted at past processions.

"I don't feel it at all. I like my task because through catching others' handkerchiefs, I feel like I am connecting them to their faith and to the Nazarene."

While authorities have banned devotees from climbing on the carriage, some still clambered over other attendees, risking life and limb to be near the religious icon.

Ester Espiritu, 76, who traveled 35 kilometers (22 miles) from her home in Cavite province, said just catching a glimpse of the statue would be enough.

"Even if I'm struggling to come here because of my age... I feel happy and well whenever I see the Nazarene," said Espiritu, who added she was praying for a lingering shoulder injury.

The giant religious parade commemorates the arrival of the wooden statue of the genuflecting Jesus of Nazarene from Acapulco, Mexico in the early 1600s, shortly after the start of the Spanish colonial conquest.

Its color — which has led it to be popularly known as the Black Nazarene — was believed to have been caused by a fire aboard the Spanish galleon that was transporting it.

President Ferdinand Marcos said the annual celebration of the icon was a "testament to our people's solidarity and camaraderie."

"It also speaks of the immense power and compassion of God who walks with us and hears our prayers, especially in our time of need," Marcos said in a statement.

Police said about 14,500 security personnel had been deployed along the procession's six-kilometer route as a precaution.

Mobile phone signals were also blocked to prevent the remote detonation of explosive devices during the parade, which is expected to last up to 18 hours, police said.

Emergency response teams were stationed along the route.

The Red Cross said it provided first aid treatment to more than 100 participants in the first few hours of the procession, mainly for cuts, dizziness, nausea, and body weakness.