17-M devotees expected to join Black Nazarene feast on Monday

Hundreds of thousands devotees line up the streets of Manila to await the Procession of the Black Nazarene on Friday (Jan. 9, 2015). Photo shows the crowd along Escolta St., Binondo, Manila as the Black Nazarene passes on its way back to Quiapo Church. (PNA photo by Oliver Marquez)

MANILA—Around 17 million devotees are expected to attend the ‘Traslacion’ or the procession of the Black Nazarene on Monday.

With this, Msgr. Hernando Coronel, rector of Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene or Quiapo Church said they are hoping that the image will be inside the basilica in the evening of the feast day.

“Ang gusto sana namin ay makarating ang Poong Nazareno sa (Quiapo) Basilica sa Lunes ng gabi (We want the Black Nazarene to reach the (Quiapo) Basilica by Monday night),” he said.

Earlier, organizers said the estimated number of attendees for this year’s event is higher that last year’s crowd attendance at 15 million.

Last year, the ‘Traslacion’ ended 20 hours after it left Quirico Grandstand at past 6:00 am.

For this year, the feast day will begin at midnight with a mass to be presided by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle to be held at the grandstand.

The ‘Traslacion 2017’ will immediately commence after the 5:00 a.m. morning prayer to be headed by the Quiapo parish priest.

On the other hand, the National Capital Region Police Office reported that, as of Sunday noon, the estimated crowd at the grandstand is 24,000.

Majority of the people are lining up for the traditional “pahalik” of the Black Nazarene at the venue, which started at 8:00 a.m.