Barefoot passengers to be allowed into LRT on Nazarene feast
MANILA, Philippines—As is tradition, barefoot passengers will be allowed to board Light Rail Transit (LRT) trains next Monday as devotees make their pilgrimage to Manila to celebrate the Feast of the Black Nazarene.
The LRT Authority (LRTA) on Thursday said the feast, celebrated in Manila’s Quiapo area, has historically been the busiest day for the LRT lines 1 and 2, which ran along Taft Avenue and Aurora Boulevard, respectively.
The agency said it would open more ticket booths and field security personnel to ensure that passenger convenience and safety.
“There will be enough trains and station personnel to serve the devotees and regular passengers on Monday,” LRTA Administrator Rafael Rodriguez said in a statement.
As traditionally practiced, barefoot devotees heading to Quiapo church will be allowed to take the trains.
“This is in line with the Department of Transportation and Communication’s mandate of providing people with safe, affordable and reliable transport mode any time of the year,” he said.
Additional security staff together with K-9 units and augmented by PNP personnel will be deployed at all LRT Lines 1 and 2 Stations and terminals.
A medical team and Philippine National Red Cross volunteers will also be fielded to the UN and Carriedo stations from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Rodriguez said LRT line 1, the oldest commuter train line in Metro Manila, recorded one of the highest volume of passengers in its history on January 9, 2009 during the celebration of the Black Nazarene feast.
Earlier this week, Msgr. Jose Clemente Ignacio, rector of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, said at least eight million people would likely join the Black Nazarene procession next week for a glimpse or a touch of the miraculous image. This is higher than the seven million devotees that attended the 2011 feast.
He said the number of attendees has been growing by the year, with more dioceses around the country asking for their own pilgrim image of the mulatto Christ to be paraded in provinces.
