Tips to would be participants please note the following before you decide to go :
The Catholic Church for the first time is tapping priests to move the revered statue of the Black Nazarene before it embarks on its grand procession on Monday.
Monsignor Jose Clemente Ignacio, Quiapo church rector, said they have tasked priests to carry the Black Nazarene from the altar at the Quirino Grandstand to its andas or the carriage that would be pulled throughout the procession.
The crowd will be ask to wait until after the Mass ends before they surge forward because the priests are not used to being mobbed. The devotees should respect the Mass because it is sacred.
- Advise your family.
- Ensure that your house is properly secured before you leave.
- All of your electrical devices in your house must be unplugged
- Be physically prepared.
- Children, elderly, pregnant and persons who are sick should avoid crowded places; thus, they are advised to stay at home and rest.
- Participants should have with them their identification card
- Participants should have with them their medical information and emergency contact numbers.
- Wear proper clothing.
- Avoid wearing expensive jewelry
- Avoid bringing expensive electronic devices.
- Avoid alcoholic drinks.
- Bring candies, crackers and bottled water.
- Drink a lot of fluid to prevent heat exhaustion.
- Devotees should also be aware of their location at all times.
- Avoid safety hazards and, if they come in groups, should designate a meeting point in case someone gets lost.
- Maintain proper distance to avoid unnecessary injuries.
- Plan a safe exit path from the crowd.
- Know the location and means of access towards the medical stations, police stations and other available authorities within the area.
- DON'T MOB THE PRIESTS
- It is to each his own there.
- They act like there's no tomorrow. Survival of the Fittest style.
- Some of the devotees think that the wilder they are the holier they become.
- Devotees have been known to mob the statue even before the Mass at the grandstand ends.
- The miraculous image of the Black Nazarene is under constant siege from a maddened multitude trying to beat one another some of them jump, push and shove anyone who gets on their way.
- Some devotees seems to be in a blind rush to reestablish a link with the Lord they don't care if they hurt anyone along the way.
- The injuries and even deaths of devotees are brought upon by one or a combination of heat, fatigue, or being trampled upon by other devotees.
For the procession on Monday, Philippine National Police (PNP) has doubled the security and assigned a total of 1,600 policemen to do the crowd control.
Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim has made a televised appeal for order, warning those who are caught with intoxicating drinks that they will be apprehended and fined.
Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim has made a televised appeal for order, warning those who are caught with intoxicating drinks that they will be apprehended and fined.
The Catholic Church for the first time is tapping priests to move the revered statue of the Black Nazarene before it embarks on its grand procession on Monday.
Monsignor Jose Clemente Ignacio, Quiapo church rector, said they have tasked priests to carry the Black Nazarene from the altar at the Quirino Grandstand to its andas or the carriage that would be pulled throughout the procession.
Popular Quiapo priest Fr. Anton Pascual was tasked to remind the faithful to stay in their places as priests carry the image to its carriage.
The crowd will be ask to wait until after the Mass ends before they surge forward because the priests are not used to being mobbed. The devotees should respect the Mass because it is sacred.
