Quiapo Church officials announced that the Black Nazarene procession, set to take place on Jan. 9, will take a slightly different route to pave the way for the ongoing bridge repair in Manila.
According to organizers, although the procession featuring the image of the Black Nazarene would still begin from the Quirino Grandstand, the Traslacion will pass through Ayala Bridge instead of Jones Bridge.
Church representatives said that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recommended the changes in order to avoid Jones Bridge, which is currently undergoing repair.
In a report by The STAR, Manila Police District director Gen. Bernabe Balba earlier said that that the DPWH “did not give clearance to allow the devotees to pass through Jones Bridge to avoid accidents.”
The DPWH said that the bridge could not withstand the weight of millions of devotees expected to join the procession.
The organizers said the Traslacion will instead follow the routes below:
Quirino Grandstand, Katigbak Road, Finance Road through Ayala Boulevard, Ayala Bridge, Palanca Street, Quezon Boulevard, Arlegui Street, Fraternal Street, Vergara Street, Duque de Alba Street, Castillejos Street, -Farnecio Street, Arlegui Street, Nepomuceno Street, Concepcion Aguila Street, Carcer Street, Hidalgo thru Plaza del Carmen, Bilibid Viejo thru Gil Puyat, JP de Guzman Street, Hidalgo Street, Arlegui Street, Quezon Boulevard, Palanca Street, and finally Villalobos through Plaza Miranda.
Around 1.3 million devotees joined the 21-hour procession last year. Meanwhile, the MPD started clearing the Traslacion route from any obstruction.
Authorities have yet to release a traffic re-routing scheme and a list of roads that would be closed for the event. – Rey Galupo
