SOME 5,000 policemen from the Manila Police District will secure the Feast of the Black Nazarene and procession to be held on Jan. 9, the MPD said Tuesday.
The district said an additional 1,500 cops from the National Capital Region Police Office and other regions will be deployed to ensure the safety of the devotees joining the Traslacion this year.
The MPD made its statement even as the City of Manila declared Jan. 9 as a holiday in observance of the Feast of the Black Nazarene to give the devotees the chance to participate in many of the activities scheduled for the day.
Supt. Edwin Margarejo said the MPD had created three sub-task groups to be assigned to Plaza Miranda, the Quirino Grandstand and the route of the procession.
Metro Manila Police Chief Oscar Albayalde will head Task Group Nazareno while MPD Chief Joel Coronel will be the ground commander.
In 2017, an estimated five million devotees joined the procession, but this year the police expect that number to increase by one to three million.
The Traslacion is the reenactment of the transfer of the Black Nazarene from Intramuros to the Quiapo Church in 1787.
The feast, one of the country’s popular religious events, pays homage to the image of Jesus Christ in maroon and gold vestments carrying a cross.