‘Pahalik’ devotees now at 10K

The number of devotees who gathered for the “Pahalik” or the traditional kissing of the Black Nazarene statue at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila has reached around 10,000 as of 8 a.m. Monday. (Photo by Constantine Agustin/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)

MANILA — The number of devotees who gathered for the “Pahalik” or the traditional kissing of the Black Nazarene statue at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila has reached around 10,000 as of 8 a.m. Monday.

This was bared by Manila Police District spokesperson Supt. Erwin Margarejo when sought for an update on the activity.

Usually, devotees of the Black Nazarene line up for hours just to kiss the ebony statue of the religious icon.

People started flocking to the area at 5 a.m. with the initial crowd reaching up to 3,000, he added.

Everything is orderly so far, Margarejo said.