Cagayan de Oro holds own Black Nazarene procession

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY— This city’s celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene, which drew at least 120,000 devotees last year, could be a smaller version of the annual procession of at least a million people in Quiapo, Manila.

But police here are not taking the task of securing the venue of the feast lightly.

The city’s celebration of the Black Nazarene feast is the only one held outside Manila that is sanctioned by the Church, although dozens of feasts honoring the Catholic icon are also being held elsewhere.

The procession, known as “traslacion,” features the replica of the Black Nazarene housed at the Jesus Nazareno shrine here, which was said to contain a piece of the original Black Nazarene of Quiapo.

The Black Nazarene is believed to have miraculous powers.

The original statue in Quiapo was carved from dark wood by Spanish friars around the 16th century in Mexico. It was brought to the Philippines in 1606.

The icon, considered the most popular likeness of Jesus Christ, is an object of devotion in the Philippines after the Sto. Niño, an icon of Christ as a child.

“It’s all systems go,” said Chief Supt. Agripino Javier, head of the Northern Mindanao police, emerging from a security conference on the feast that is set for Jan. 8 to 9.

 Terror threats

Javier said the regional police office was coordinating with the city government and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that the annual feast proceeds smoothly.

There was no untoward incident in past Black Nazarene processions here but authorities are taking extra precaution this year amid terror threats from extremist groups, like the Lanao-based Maute group.

Javier said the regional police would deploy at least 800 policemen and officers to key areas and set up public assistance centers to protect devotees.

He said aside from policemen, soldiers and Coast Guard members would be deployed around the city, particularly during the traslacion.