THE CENTURIES-OLD image of Jesus Nazareno arrived at Quiapo Church on Saturday, Jan. 10, after a procession that took 30 hours, 50 minutes, and one second, the longest ever Traslación since 2012.
The annual procession however claimed the lives of four people, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said.
The Traslación began at 4 a.m. on Jan. 9, at Quirino Grandstand and ended at the gate of Quiapo Church at 10:50 a.m., drawing an estimated 9.6 million devotees, the Quiapo Church Command Post reported.
This year’s turnout and duration surpassed Traslación 2025, which lasted 20 hours and 45 minutes with over 8.1 million devotees, with no recorded deaths.
Deaths
Among the fatalities was Itoh Son, a photojournalist from a local news outlet, who collapsed at a station near the Quirino Grandstand and died before the start of the procession.
The NCRPO also confirmed the death of one devotee who was rushed to the hospital on Friday morning after suffering from a heart attack.
Two more deaths were confirmed by the NCRPO but it did not provide details as of writing.
“We’re going to report our casualties once we have all the details already. Currently, these are fresh pieces of information, but we need to really hone in on the details of these two casualties,” Nazareno 2026 spokesperson Fr. Robert Arellano said in a press conference on Saturday morning.
Delays
The procession moved slowly despite several improvements to the andas or carriage, including a four-wheel mechanism, steering system, brakes and a reinforced underchassis.
Quiapo Church communication coordinator Silgen Cabrito said the delays were caused not by mechanical issues but by human factors, as large groups of devotees attempted to mount the andas, affecting its balance.
“Sa bigat at dami ng mga sumasampa, napapayuko ang harapan ng andas,” Cabrito said.
Church marshals and officials repeatedly urged devotees to refrain from climbing the andas, but many ignored the reminders, visibly exhausting the hijos pulis or policemen-devotees assisting in the procession.
The delays worsened when the main rope pulling the carriage snapped along Quezon Boulevard between 2:50 p.m. and 3 p.m. A 30-meter backup rope was installed nearly an hour later, allowing the procession to resume.
At 7 p.m., organizers recorded more than 980,000 devotees along the route, surpassing last year’s turnout of 387,010 devotees.
After passing through Arlegui Street, the andas entered Fraternal Street at about 8:15 p.m. and reached Vergara Street at 8:56 p.m., drawing massive crowds.
Devotees continued to gather along Hidalgo Street, particularly near the Sisters of the Holy Face of Jesus convent, despite the slow pace of the procession.
“Siyempre tatapusin natin ‘yung panata,” said Eric Mallari, who had been waiting since Jan. 7. “Hindi natin mafe-feel kung hindi natin natapos ang pagpasok ng Señor,” he said.
At 4:21 a.m., the andas arrived at Plaza del Carmen in front of San Sebastian Basilica for the traditional Dungaw or encounter between the Nazareno and the image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
Although Quiapo Church Rector and Parish Priest Fr. Ramon Jade Licuanan initially announced that the image would remain at San Sebastian Basilica indefinitely, devotees later pulled the andas back to its original route.
According to Cabrito, the image passed through Villalobos Street at 9:58 a.m. before finally returning to Quiapo Church at 10:50 a.m. to conclude the Traslación. With reports from Djenhard Yreneo Raphael Y. Sapanhila and Justin Jacob S. Urag
