Mayor Lacuna: Manila to ban liquor for Feast of Black Nazarene

Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna. FILE PHOTO / Manila Public Information Office

MANILA, Philippines — Manila will impose a liquor ban for the upcoming Black Nazarene celebration on January 9, city mayor Honey Lacuna announced on Tuesday.

In a press conference in Manila, Lacuna said the liquor ban would begin on January 7 and until January 9.

The local chief executive said she would issue an executive order about the ban, which is expected to be out within Tuesday.

For the third consecutive time, the Traslacion has been canceled. It was first canceled in 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck the country.

The annual procession is a reenactment of the 1787 Traslacion — literally means “solemn transfer” — of the image from its original shrine in Bagumbayan, the present Rizal Park, to the Quiapo Church.

Also, instead of the traditional “Pahalik,” devotees can just approach and touch the image of the Black Nazarene, according to Fr. Earl Valdez, attached priest of Quiapo Church.

Meanwhile, other activities for the Black Nazarene will now resume, such as the hourly celebration of the Holy Mass at the Quiapo Church and the mass at the Quirino Grandstand headed by the Archdiocese of Manila, Valdez also said.

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