Estimated Quiapo crowd swells to 200K; zero crime reported so far

Some 200,000 devotees have been monitored in Quiapo Church as of midday of Monday, the Feast of the Black Nazarene, traditionally a very crowded affair prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

From 12 midnight to 1 p.m., Quiapo Church officials said a total of 228,650 devotees went to Quiapo Church, while another 121,930 to the Quirino Grandstand.

Manila Police District (MPD) chief Police Brigadier General Andre Dizon told GMA News Online that there were no crime incidents reported in the concerned areas as of noon.

“Up to this time, zero crime incident po tayo sa areas ng Quirino Grandstand, Quiapo Church at Walk of Faith route,” he said in a message.

(Up to this time, there have been zero crime incidents in areas of Quirino Grandstand, Quiapo Church, and Walk of Faith route.)

According to the Quiapo Church, hourly Masses are held at the church since 12 midnight. The last Mass will be held at 11 p.m.

Some of the devotees stayed for hours in a long line in Villalobos Street as they waited for their turn to attend the hourly Mass.

Due to the limited space of the church, some of opted to listen to the speakers strategically placed outside the church in Plaza Miranda. Some LED screens were also placed in select areas around the church where devotees can watch the Mass.

Many devotees brought their own replicas of the Black Nazarene during the Mass, from palm size to almost life size.

Street performers, including fire dancers, entertained devotees, performing to a drum accompaniment.

Vendors were also scattered around the church selling Black Nazarene souvenirs like towels, shorts, images, necklaces, among others,

Meanwhile, some devotees were rushed to medical assistance tents after feeling dizzy and experiencing high blood pressure.

According to the Quiapo Church, 59 devotees so far sought medical assistance during the observation of the feast.

Police and volunteers were manning the entry and exit points to manage the ebb and flow of people in the church.

'Walk of Faith'

On Sunday, tens of thousands of devotees walked through the streets of Manila in reverence of a historic statue of Jesus Christ, which is believed to have miraculous powers.

The "Walk of Faith", which church officials estimated attracted more than 80,000 people, began after a midnight mass for the Black Nazarene statue.

Many Filipinos believe touching or getting close to the statue can lead to the healing of otherwise incurable ailments and other good fortune.

The original wooden statue of the Black Nazarene was brought to the Philippines in the early 1600s when the nation was a Spanish colony. Many Filipinos believe it got its dark color after surviving a fire aboard a ship en route from Mexico.

This year's parade replaced the traditional Traslacion, a procession that used to involve hundreds of thousands of believers thronging a life-sized statue as it was pulled through the streets on a float.

One of the biggest displays of Catholic devotion in the Philippines, it was cancelled for two years in a row due to COVID-19. —with Agence France-Presse/KBK, GMA Integrated News