Daily Tribune
Devotees sacrifice enduring traffic and massive crowds every 9 January to follow the Black Nazarene.
Photo by John Carlo Magallon for DAILY TRIBUNE
The carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno reached the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno after nearly 31 hours on the streets.
The image arrived at about 10:50 a.m. The procession lasted 30 hours and 50 minutes, making this year’s Traslacion the slowest since 2017 and 2018, when it took only 22 hours to return the image to Quiapo Church.
The Traslacion began at 3:58 a.m. on Friday, 9 January, from the Quirino Grandstand.
Silgen Cabrito, communications coordinator of Quiapo Church, attributed the sluggish progress of the procession to “more aggressive devotees.”
“It seems that many devotees are more aggressive in getting in front of the image,” Cabrito told reporters.
“Many of them stop at the front of the andas to pray and then try to climb up to touch the mirror,” he added.
Organizers had initially aimed to complete the Traslacion within 15 hours.
At the 24-hour mark, when the procession reached San Sebastian Basilica for the traditional Dungaw, Fr. Ramon Jade Licuanan, rector and parish priest of the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, announced that the image would temporarily remain at San Sebastian Church.
Licuanan suggested that the Traslacion might even end there—an unprecedented break from centuries-old tradition.
“Nais ko pong hingin ang inyong pang-unawa na nais natin ang Poong Nazareno na manatili muna sa piling ng kanyang Ina kahit sandali lamang. After 10 years, atin pong matutunghayan ang pananahan ng Anak na Hesus sa kanyang minamahal na Ina,”
(I would like to ask for your understanding. We wish for Jesus Nazareno to stay briefly with His Mother. After 10 years, we will once again witness the Son dwelling with His beloved Mother.)
Licuanan noted that this year marked the 10th Dungaw since the tradition’s revival in 2014.
He also cited widespread exhaustion, as the Traslacion had already exceeded 24 hours.
“Nung huli po naming pagpupulong sa simbahan, ang atin pong mga doktor ay hindi na rin po kaya—gayundin ang mga nurse, health workers, at quick responders. Dahil nga naman 24, 25 oras na silang tumitingin sa may sakit,”
(During our last meeting at the church, the doctors said they could no longer continue, as well as the nurses, health workers, and quick responders, who had been attending to the sick for 24 to 25 hours.)
“Magiging tapat po ako sa inyo—marami na pong nasaktan,”
(I will be honest—many devotees have already been injured.)
However, the plan was quickly reversed after devotees blocked the entry of the image into the church.
“Ninanais po ng mga deboto na tapusin ang prusisyon. Ito rin po ang para sa ikabubuti ng mas nakararami,”
(Devotees wanted to finish the procession. This is also for the good of the majority.)
This was confirmed in a radio interview by Rev. Fr. Hector Gonzales, parish priest of the Basilica of San Sebastian.
The Traslacion resumed at around 5 a.m.
Two devotees died during this year’s Traslacion, according to the National Capital Region Police Office.
Meanwhile, at least 1,000 people required medical attention—including vital signs monitoring and treatment for minor wounds, dizziness, abrasions, and sprains—according to the Department of Health.
