2.5M expected at Traslacion

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Guillermo Eleazar yesterday said that 7,100 policemen will be deployed to secure the expected 2.5 million attendees to the Feast of the Black Nazarene on 9 January.

“Basically, around 2,000-plus will be coming from the Manila Police District and 5,000 from other districts, including the mobile force battalion,” said Eleazar.

The NCRPO chief also assured the public that authorities are prepared for the annual procession of the miraculous image of the Black Nazarene from the Quirino Grandstand all the way to Quiapo Church.

He said traffic advisories would soon be released on the roads that may have to be closed to hasten the movement of the devotees.

In the 2018 Traslacion, it took the devotees an estimated 23 hours to bring the Black Nazarene to the church, said Eleazar.

He told reporters they are still studying if mobile phone signals in the vicinity of the procession will be shut down. He emphasized that it is already decided by authorities to impose a “no-fly, no-sail” policy in the area to ensure the safety of the public.

The Traslacion is the re-enactment of the transfer of the image from Intramuros to the Quiapo Church in 1787. The feast, one of the country’s popular religious events, pays homage to the image of Jesus Christ in maroon and gold vestments carrying the Cross.