MANILA, Philippines — More than 11,000 Filipino Catholic devotees followed the procession of the image of the Black Nazarene in Manila on Good Friday, April 7.
This marked the return of Quiapo Church’s yearly procession after years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting in the evening of Maundy Thursday, April 6, the motorcade that stretched to the early morning of Friday was secured by more than 1,500 security personnel, a according to the Manila Public Information Office.
The crowd count, however, was triple in 2019 when the procession drew more than 35,000 devotees.
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Quiapo Church spokesperson Fr. Earl Valdez had expected this.
“Devotees will come, though not as huge as our crowds during the Nazarene feast. We are preparing for this along with the local government of Manila,” Valdez said in a CBCP News report.
Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna earlier said the Good Friday motorcade would serve as a test case for the plan to bring back the “traslacion” during the feast of the Black Nazarene in January 2024. — with report from The STAR
