MANILA, Philippines—Devotees who wish to go barefoot as part of their ritual en route to Quiapo, Manila, for the annual procession of the Black Nazarene on Friday will be allowed to take the Light Rail Transit, the train management announced Wednesday.

Expecting a surge in passenger volume, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) said it was relaxing its policy for the benefit of pilgrims flocking to one of the country’s biggest religious feasts.

Predominantly male devotees, in numbers usually peaking between 2 and 3 million, are expected to pack the traditional procession route around Quiapo church, a walking distance from at least five LRT stations: Carriedo, Recto, Central, D. Jose and UN Avenue.

Tight security

LRTA administrator Melquiades Robles said security on the trains would nevertheless be tight on Friday. Additional guards and K9 teams will be deployed at the stations. Medical personnel and additional tellers will also be on stand by.

“We are more than ready to accommodate the increase in ridership on Friday, which we expect to be around 540,000,” Robles said, assuring passengers that there will be more than enough trains to service them.

He said the LRTA was looking at fielding up to 31 trains with 2 ‘’spares” on Friday.

As part of their panata (vow) and in symbolic imitation of Christ’s suffering, Nazarene devotees go barefoot and risk injury jostling their way into the thick crowds, hoping to get close enough to touch the life-size statue of Jesus carrying the cross or at least the gilded carriage bearing the image.

Other devotees would have their towels or handkerchiefs rubbed on the 402-year-old statue, which is widely held to be miraculous.

200 replicas

In what may be considered a preview of the Jan. 9 feast, thousands of early pilgrims Wednesday converged in Quiapo for a procession featuring some 200 replicas of the Nazarene.

The images came in various sizes, some borne on shoulders, others mounted on trucks and pedicabs by fanatic worshippers who paid no mind to the afternoon drizzle.

Many of the participants came not only from different parts of Metro Manila but also from the nearby provinces of Bulacan, Batangas and Pampanga.

According to a member of the Quiapo church staff, Wednesday’s procession was held partly to “decongest” the mammoth crowds that are expected on the actual day of the feast.

Blessings

Rosalie Tengson, a 55-year-old housewife from Tondo, Manila, said her devotion to the Black Nazarene since 1986 has perpetually kindled her faith in God.

“I just decided to devote my life to Him, even without me having a particular wish for Him to grant,” Tengson said.

Federico Egera, a devotee since 1994, said joining the feast has been his way of thanking the Black Nazarene for the many blessings he had received, like when his elder sister was cured of bone cancer.