Security was high, but so was trash

More than a thousand Army soldiers were assigned to guard the routes of the huge Black Nazarene procession in Manila in addition to about 5,000 policemen, firemen and contracted security guards, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The NDRRMC, which monitored the situation, said the Armed Forces of the Philippines deployed 1,002 personnel to provide security, medical and logistical services for the procession.

Four security agencies were also tapped to provide 407 personnel and 16 M35 trucks. The Bureau of Fire Protection deployed 232 personnel in strategic areas, along with fire trucks.

Earlier, the Philippine National Police said they were deploying 4,000 personnel to secure the procession.

Despite the huge security mobilization, police and Army officers denied there were security threats to the annual celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene, among the largest Catholic processions in the world.

The NDRRMC, in its report, noted that the annual tradition, in which the image of the Black Nazarene is paraded from Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church, is joined by millions of devotees increasing at an annual rate of 15 to 20 percent.

A tumultuous event, stampedes and deaths have marred past Black Nazarene processions.

But even before this year’s procession was halfway through, environmental group EcoWaste Coalition expressed its dismay over the trash that dotted Manila’s streets Saturday morning.

In a statement, EcoWaste coordinator Aileen Lucero said the litter was composed of cigarette butts, Styrofoam food containers, and plastic bags and bottles that they saw in Rizal Park which was “deeply deplorable,” since the park has both no-smoking and  no-littering policies.  Jaymee T. Gamil and  Annelle Tayao-Juego