By FROILAN GALLARDO
Special Correspondent
with NITZ ARANCON,
Correspondent
THERE would be no drones flying and children would not be allowed to take part in the Traslación during the annual Feast of Black Nazarene here this week.
Msgr. Persius Cabunoc, parish priest of the Nazareno Parish, said these are some of the security details agreed by organizers for one of Mindanao’s biggest Roman Catholic events on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9.
Started in 2009, Cabunoc said they expected more than 250,000 devotees coming from all over Mindanao to join the traslacion.
“The participation of devotees are getting bigger every year. We have devotees coming from as far as Davao and Zamboanga,” Cabunoc told reporters.
Dubbed as the “tamer version” of the Feast of Black Nazarene, the annual Traslación started in 2009 when the Church of Quiapo donated a replica or the “Callejeron” to the Nazareno parish here.
Cabunoc said there are now three replicas—one that is seen in the Nazareno church in Barangay Lapasan; one that is “borrowed by other parishes; and the original “Callejeron” from Quiapo parish.
“But [this] week, it is the original Callejeron that would be brought out to the city,” he said.
Cabunoc said the route of the traslacion would take the “Callejeron” from St. Agustine Metropolitan Cathedral to the Nazareno church via the city’s main Velez Street at 5 am Wednesday. The procession route would be from the cathedral, Fernandez Street, Don Apolinar Velez Street, CM Recto up to the Nazareno church.
He said prior to that, “Callejeron” would be transferred from Nazareno church to the St. Agustine Metropolitan Cathedral on Tuesday evening.
Cabunoc said more than 3,000 policemen and Army officers would secure the devotees during the 1.5-kilometer walk from the St. Agustine Cathedral to the Nazareno church on Wednesday.
He said more than four ambulances and 50 medical responders would be on standby along the route.
“We are asking pregnant women and children not to participate in the Traslación,” Cabunoc said.
He said security would be tight especially on those carrying backpacks.
Cabunoc said other no-nos during the Traslación are the use of caps, sunglasses, and bags.
Cabunoc said the police informed him there would be a mobile phone signal jamming starting on Wednesday.
It was Mayor Oscar Moreno who asked the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to temporarily cut off the mobile phone signals in key areas of the city during the Catholic activities for security purposes.
It was also Moreno who issued an executive order to ban the use of drones by unauthorized people. Only the police and other authorized groups can fly drones during the procession.
Also, Moreno ordered a liquor ban in areas along and near the procession route.
