Police tweak rules for faster ‘traslacion’

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT? Policemen keep a tight watch on the Quiapo church ahead of the Jan. 9 “traslacion.”–MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

When the annual procession of the Black Nazarene gets underway on Jan. 9, devotees can clamber onto the carriage carrying the image only from the back, the chief of the Metro Manila police said on Thursday.

The goal is to shorten the “traslacion,” the annual procession of the image of the Black Nazarene that draws millions of devotees and takes hours to complete from the Quiapo church in Manila and back, Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas said.

“We agreed that the procession drags out because some devotees block the andas’ path in their attempts to touch the image,” Sinas, regional director of the National Capital Region Police Office, told reporters at the Manila Police District headquarters.Sinas said that if the procession time is shortened, untoward incidents can be avoided.

“The longer the procession is, the longer is the time for criminals and terrorists to make plans. We are hoping to improve the time by opening up the front of the andas,” he added.

Police will secure the front and side of the carriage to prevent devotees from blocking its path. Sinas had earlier said that he would recommend to organizers to ban the wiping of the image and clambering on to the carriage for a faster procession.

However, during the dialogue with the organizers, including the rector of Quiapo Church, stakeholders have agreed to keep these traditions.

The ropes that devotees use to pull the carriage forward will also remain part of the traslacion, he added.

Among the minor changes in this year’s feast is the rerouting of the Black Nazarene.

Msgr. Hernando Coronel, Quiapo church rector, said that the procession will be 300 meters shorter as the image will pass through Ayala Bridge.

“According to the Department of Public Works and Highways, Ayala Bridge is the safest among the bridges that crosses Pasig River because it was recently retrofitted,” he said.

He added that the procession will also stop at 14 prayer stations along the way, just like last year.

This time of the year when all eyes are on Quiapo Church, Coronel said that it is important to facilitate a “solemn and orderly” procession while highlighting the religious aspect of the feast.

Police and Church officials have been heartened by the shorter time it took for the thanksgiving procession of the religious image to be completed earlier this week.

The andas or carriage carrying the blessed image left the Quiapo church at 11:45 p.m. on Monday and was back at 1:24 a.m. on Tuesday for a record one hour and 39 minutes after completing the 2.37-kilometer route.