UPDATE (Jan 7): Change of plans, dear readers. “Due to safety concerns, Quiapo church rector Msgr. Clemente Ignacio announced Monday, Jan 6, that the Black Nazarene’s route will no longer include the MacArthur Bridge,” reports Niña Calleja and Maricar B. Brizuela in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Instead of the MacArthur Bridge, the Black Nazarene procession will take the Jones Bridge instead. This means that the procession may take two to three hours longer than usual. The decision to change the route was based on the Department of Public Works and Highways’ advice to regulate foot traffic on the old bridge as there are already a lot of cracks on the structure.
So the new route is as follows: It will cross the Jones Bridge, take Escolta Street, and then back to the original route going to FEATI University and then straight to Villalobos Street.
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(Jan 6) In anticipation of the culmination of the Feast of the Black Nazarene on Thursday, Jan 9, the city government of Manila has suspended classes in all levels for that day.
The procession will start after the 7am mass. Its route is as follows:
From the Quirino Grandstand, the statue of the Black Nazarene will pass through Katigbak Drive, Padre Burgos, straight through Taft Avenue, and then MacArthur Bridge, Quezon Boulevard, Arlegui, Fraternal. It will turn left to Vergara Street, Duque de Alba Street, and then to Nepomuceno.
From there, it will pass through Castillejos, Farnecio, Arlegui, Nepomuceno, Aguila, Carcer, then straight to Hidalgo towards Plaza del Carmen, Bilibid Viejo, Guzman, Hidalgo, Barbosa Globo de Oro, Palanca, and then back to Plaza Miranda.
“Around 6,000 personnel, including policemen, will be deployed to maintain peace and order during the procession,” reports ABS-CBNnews.com. As many as 10 to 12 million devotees are expected to attend the event.
Photo by Denvie Balidoy via WikiCommons
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