Cops, military secure Plaza Miranda

MANILA, Philippines—Police and military officers early Monday morning have fanned out to various areas of Plaza Miranda amid reports of possible terror attacks during the Feast of the Black Nazarene.

Just off the square, military and police vehicles were seen, their occupants keeping an eye on the area which was said to be one of the possible targets of terrorists planning to take advantage of the religious event.

Uniformed officers weaved in and out of crowds at the plaza, part of their procedure to secure the people, said Senior Police Officer 2 Arnel Pabines of the Manila Police District.

“There are many officers from the Navy, NCRPO and MPD,” he said. The officers kept an eye on possibly a hundred persons at the square, those listening to the mass inside the church, as well as the barefoot devotees carrying their replicas of the dark-skinned Christ towards the direction of the Quirino Grandstand.

Despite reports of possible terror attacks, devotees still flocked to take part in the “Traslacion” which commemorates the very first time the Black Nazarene was transferred from Intramuros to Quiapo.