File photo (Photo by Valere Jane R. Callorena/ The Varsitarian)

IMPROVEMENTS have been made to the carriage or andas for this year’s procession of Quiapo’s  Jesus Nazarene image on Jan. 9, a religious festival that is set to draw over six million devotees.

In a press conference, Quiapo Church adviser Alex Irasga said the redesign is a “major innovation” and a “work in progress.”

The Nazareno 2025 carriage will now have a sunroof made of tempered glass to allow natural light to enter and increase the centuries-old image’s visibility to devotees in elevated areas. 

Ang lahat naman ng ito ay sa hangad natin na mas makita ang ating mahal na Hesus Nazareno, ng milyon-milyong nating mga kapwa deboto, sa halip na ang mga deboto ang nakikita ng Nazareno,” he said. 

An exhaust fan on the carriage’s ceiling and a ventilation system on both sides were also added to prevent moisture from obscuring the Nazareno, which occurred last year.

Organizers used stronger stainless steel parts for the carriage and reinforced steel protections on the wheels to fortify the enclosure. 

To prevent devotees from climbing onto the carriage and destroying lights and flowers, the two-inch platforms at the front and back were removed. Devotees, however, are still allowed to throw towels or handkerchiefs and wipe the andas.

First aid equipment was also placed under the carriage.

The carriage will traverse a distance of 5.8 kilometers and will pass through three plazas and parks, one underpass, six bridges, and 18 national and city roads, Irasga said.

The route of the procession, starting from the Quirino Grandstand to the Quiapo Church, will remain the same as last year’s.

According to Irasga, devotees will not be allowed to stand on the bridges along the route until the image passes through. 

Over 14,000 police personnel, including police officers and personnel from the Armed Forces, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Metro Manila Development Authority, will be deployed by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said Manila Police District (MPD) Director Brig. Gen. Arnold Ibay.

The original image – brought to the Philippines by a Recollect priest from Mexico – was transported to the Quirino Grandstand last Jan. 6 for the pahalik tradition.

Presiding over the Misa Mayor at the Grandstand at midnight on Jan. 9 is Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula.

This year’s theme is “Mas mabuti ang pagsunod kaysa paghahandog sa mga umaasa kay Jesus.”

Traslación 2025 marks its first year as a national feast, which means parishes and local communities can celebrate the feast in their own way. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines elevated Quiapo Church to a national shrine last July 2023.

Makasaysayan ang ating piyesta sa taong ito sapagkat sa unang pagkakataon, ito ay hindi na lang piyesta ng Quiapo o ng Maynila, kundi ng (lahat ng simbahan sa) buong Pilipinas. We call it a liturgical feast. [S]a bawat diocese, sa bawat parokya, ito ay kanilang ipagdiriwang,” Balanga Bishop-elect and Quiapo Church Rector Rufino Sescon, Jr. said in the press conference.

Church officials announced that the image of the suffering Christ on his way to Calvary would no longer be referred to as Itim na Poong Hesus Nazareno or Black Nazarene. It will be simply called  Poong Hesus Nazareno or Jesus Nazarene. 

Nazareno 2025 spokesperson Fr. Robert Arellano contended that the origin of the term “Black Nazarene” is unclear, and that the Quiapo Church wishes to honor the true name of Jesus by removing the word “black.”

The Traslación is held every Jan. 9 to commemorate the Jesus Nazarene image’s transfer from San Nicolas de Tolentino Church inside Intramuros to Quiapo Church in 1787. Reya Vincent P. Misa

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