Devotees hold procession of Sto. Niño de Tondo image on eve of feast

Catholic devotees of the Child Jesus (Sto. Nino) staged the annual Lakbayaw Procession of Sto Nino de Tondo on Saturday, January 18, 2020, a day before the feast day of their patron.

The image of the Sto. Niño de Tondo is believed to be brought to the Philippines by a wealthy merchant from Acapulco, Mexico.

Photos by Danny Pata

Yet another version of of the image's origin has it that a soldier found it among recovered items that were looted from Cebu.

The image was later  turned over in a church built by the Augustinians in Tondo, Manila, the former seat of the ancient Kingdom of Raja Lakandula, for public veneration and patronage. It has been enshrined in that church since 1572. —Danny Pata/LBG, GMA News