Traslacion participant dies at hospital

^{Image of the Black Nazarene back at Quiapo Church after  22-hour procession. Reuters}

A devotee of the Black Nazarene who joined the Traslacion died before dawn Wednesday, according to a report by Carlo Mateo on Super Radyo dzBB, but details of the incident were up for confirmation by proper authorities.

The fatality was identified as Ramil dela Cruz, 51, a senior jail officer at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology of the National Capital Region.

He was declared dead on arrival at the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila.

FLASH: Lalaking deboto ng Poong Itim na Nazareno, dead on arrival nang isugod sa Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center sa lungsod ng Maynila kaninang madaling araw. | via Carlo Mateo pic.twitter.com/zngNRkRPNP

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) January 9, 2018

Carlo Mateo reported on "Unang Balita" that joining the annual Traslacion was part of Dela Cruz's "panata" to the Black Nazarene for the past three decades. The senior jail officer reportedly joined Tuesday's procession with his batch mates at the Manuel L. Quezon University.

Dela Cruz's "best friend," also a senior jail officer, was quoted in the report as saying that Dela Cruz could have survived had he been attended to more quickly and properly by responders at the medical post near the Quiapo Church.

In a text message to GMA News Online, Quiapo Church's Father Douglas Badong said that Dela Cruz, 51, was in the area awaiting the arrival of the procession.

"Nag-aabang po siya. At about 1 a.m., nakaramdam siya ng paninikip ng dibdib ... dinala po siya sa ospital," Fr. Badong said. 

Quoting Dela Cruz's friend, a GMA News report said that the victim was along Hidalgo Street waiting for the procession to pass by. At about 10 p.m., after touching the Black Nazarene carriage rope, he experienced breathing difficulty.

"Pagkatapos niyang makahipo sa lubid ng andas, biglang sumama ang timpla niya ... nahirapan siyang huminga, nanginig, at nakaihi sa kanyang pantalon," the victim's friend was quoted in the report as saying.

But his friend claimed that personnel at the nearby medical emergency post where he was initially brought did not give him proper medical attention.

He was rushed to the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center but he did not make it, Dela Cruz's friend said. 

As of posting time, GMA News Online was trying to contact the Manila Police District for details on the devotee's death.  —Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/LBG, GMA News