ARTICLE SERVICES            Reprint this article     Print this article       Send as an e-mail     Send Feedback       Post a comment       RELATED STORIES   Thousands join Nazarene procession Teach ‘correct version’ of Islam Red Cross: 229 treated at Nazarene feast GALLERY 1 2 3 4 5 Next   Zoom    Read Full Story Almost a million devotees try to get near the image of the Black Nazarene, hoping for answered prayers and miracles. Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim estimated that there were at least 800,000 at Luneta’s Quirino Grandstand alone, where a mass was said Friday morning before the image was taken in a procession to the Quiapo church. Police say they expect as many as 3 million devotees to turn out for the Black Nazarene’s feast day. INQUIRER.net/THEA ALBERTO Zoom    Read Full Story Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales resumes holy mass at the Quirino Grandstand Friday morning after devotees of the Black Nazarene disrupted the celebration by rushing to the religious statue, which many Catholics believe miraculous, before the procession bearing the image to the Quiapo church. INQUIRER.net/THEA ALBERTO Zoom    Read Full Story Devotees throw towels at the image of the Black Nazarene as the procession bearing the statue they believe is miraculous passes them on its way to Quiapo church. The devotees believe a towel that touches the image preserves some of its miraculous powers and can heal the sick. INQUIRER.net/THEA ALBERTO Zoom    Read Full Story The image of the Black Nazarene at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila as thousands of devotees gather for an opening mass before the procession to Quiapo Church. INQUIRER.net/IZAH MORALES Zoom    Read Full Story Vice President Noli de Castro and Mayor Alfredo Lim confer with Monsignor Clem Ignacio of Quiapo Church before the mass for the feast of the Black Nazarene at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila. De Castro and Lim are devotees of the Black Nazarene. On the phone is NCR police director Leopoldo Bataoil. INQUIRER.net/LAWRENCE CASIRAYA PAG-IBIG issues ultimatum to employers No suspects in Metro bomb-related incidents Fire guts three floors of Makati building Swine flu strikes at Sandiganbayan More Stories » News Make sure doors are locked when in cab Petty politics in Tacloban City Prayers sought for ailing Cory Aquino Vizcaya town gets taste of good governance Solon: P500-M demand did it Bernard Madoff gets 150 years in prison BoC to computerize valuation of customs goods DepEd owes GSIS P21.3 B Phase out PCBs by 2014 urged 50 journalists in Maguindanao held, freed News Palace makes a clean breast of Arroyo implant Estrada backs mayor in fight vs Arroyo son Maxene files fraud raps vs aide PAG-IBIG issues ultimatum to employers High court castigates abusive Makati judge Arroyo doesn’t care for soldiers Fugitive nabbed for illegal investment scheme Quake shakes Mindoro Poll automation is back on track Imelda Marcos: The best and worst life Nonstop prayers for Cory Aquino; no visits Building a closer RP-US partnership   News Most Read RSS Dakki Contact Person: John Cuenco Tel. No.: 871.7238 / 871.1450 / 875.1178 Email Add: dakkidon@yahoo.com Jomel Gregorio Photography Look for: Jomel or Nanette Gregorio Tel.No.: +632.496.8126 Mobile: (0917)8443124/(0920)9133930 Email: info@jomelgregorio.com

MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 8) After a 13-hour procession joined by tens of thousands Catholic devotees, the statue of the Black Nazarene was returned to Quiapo Church Friday evening.

It took almost an hour before the gate of the Catholic church could be opened as devotees made last-ditch attempts to get near the black icon of Jesus Christ to rub it with their handkerchiefs, believing this would bestow miraculous powers of healing and bring good luck.

Thanks to the giant video screen overlooking Plaza Miranda, which flashed the live camera feed of the procession as soon as the carriage entered Plaza Miranda, devotees who could not get through the thick crowd still managed to see the image.

Devotees on the other side of the road or those standing on the center island cheered when the camera zoomed into the face of the Black Nazarene. They clapped on seeing a woman jumped into the carriage.

Seven persons were seen on stretchers during the commotion, one of them bloodied.

Despite a moderate earthquake that struck north of Manila in mid-afternoon the five-kilometer procession began in Rizal Park and culminated in downtown Quiapo Church, in a colorful display of Catholicism's enduring popularity in the former Spanish colony.

The devotees shed their footwear to follow the icon. The devotees, many wearing scarlet shirts and waving white handkerchiefs and towels, took turns to pull a pair of ropes that hauled the centuries-old Black Nazarene through the narrow streets of central Manila.

The procession was diverted to its old route after devotees forced the image’s carriage to go into one of the side streets leading to Quiapo Church, Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales said.

Rosales said the change happened after the Black Nazarene’s carriage got to McArthur Bridge and the “old” devotees pulled the rope around the image towards Quinta Market.

Rosales said rather than risk a stampede, they decided to let the people have their way.

“We did our best to make it orderly,” said Rosales.

Jojo Sanding, one of the Black Nazarene volunteers, blamed residents from Quiapo for snatching the rope that forced the carriage to change its route.

The image left the Quirino Grandstand at 8:30 a.m. after a mass celebrated by Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales, a break from the tradition of holding the ceremony in Quiapo Church.

The open-air mass was interrupted 20 times as devotees stampeded towards the float carrying the icon, an Agence France-Presse reporter saw.

No serious injuries were reported.

"The small group that fanatically climbed to get to the Lord, that's the example of what it should not be. That part has to be purified," Rosales later told reporters.

"There are excesses in the devotion and beliefs that we need to change," said Monsignor Clemente Ignacio, the parish priest of Quiapo.

Devotees noted the increase in the number of participants who joined the procession this year.

“Hindi nababawasan, taon-taon dumadami. Dumadami mga naniniwala [The numbers are not dwindling, they are increasing every year],” said Edgar Apable, 45.

He has been a devotee of the Black Nazarene since he was a kid.

Apable has been joining the procession for the last 30 years, traveling all the way from his home in Meycauayan, Bulacan, although a foot injury this year prevented him from making the walk.

Another devotee echoed Apable.

“A lot of people joined this year. A lot of impulsive youths were guided by the Father to change,” said Alex Morales, a devotee of the Nazarene for the last six years.

Major Bert Esusan of the Civil Disturbance Management Unit of the Manila Police District said about 1,000 policemen were deployed in all the major roads in Manila.

He said that the Metro Manila Development Authority also sent personnel aside from the traffic and non-government organization volunteers assisting the police but did not give the exact number.

The Red Cross Manila Chapter deployed some 300 volunteers to provide first aid treatment.

Minor foot injuries are also common since devotees who join the procession walk barefoot, said Alfa Dorothy Galit from Red Cross Manila.

The life-sized wooden sculpture of a black Jesus bearing a cross is said to have been carved in Mexico and brought to the Philippines by Augustinian missionaries in the early 17th century during Spain's galleon trade. With a report from Tetch Torres

• Thousands join Nazarene procession
• Teach ‘correct version’ of Islam
• Red Cross: 229 treated at Nazarene feast

• PAG-IBIG issues ultimatum to employers
• No suspects in Metro bomb-related incidents
• Fire guts three floors of Makati building
• Swine flu strikes at Sandiganbayan