Thousands of devotees experienced a shorter and faster “Pahalik” of the Black Nazarene on Wednesday at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.
Jojo Apolonio, 33, said that he and his three cousins only took an hour to be able to touch and kiss the revered image of the Black Nazarene.
“Mga 7:40 a.m., nandito na kami. Nakahalik kami lapgas 9:30,” he said.
“Nakaraan, 5 a.m. nakapila na kami. Tapos nakahalik lang, magmamadaling araw,” he added.
Like Apolonio, 65-year-old Dong Montoya did not expect the faster pace to reach the image as he even set up a tent and camped out at the Grandstand on Tuesday morning.
“Kahapon (Tuesday) pa lang, nandito na ako. Hanggang mamayang madaling araw (Thursday) na ako dito, pagkatapos ng misa,” he said.
By 7 a.m., the Manila Police District (MPD) estimated a crowd of 5,000 devotees falling in two lines — one for regular believers and the other for persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and pregnant women.
By 10 a.m., the number of devotees fell to 2,000. The last line only reached the gate of the Luneta Hotel, some 500 meters away from the Black Nazarene.
Montoya said that this was because of the earlier schedule of the “Pahalik,” which started on Monday evening.
“Mas maganda ngayon, maaga nagsimula,” he said.
More than 500 police personnel and several medical personnel were deployed to the area.
Quiapo Church personnel were also seen assisting devotees, particular those who had special needs.
The MPD said that since the start of the Pahalik, no untoward incident was reported. (Joseph Pedrajas)
