No procession, salubong, pahalik for this year’s Black Nazarene feast amid pandemic

GMA News – Published January 3, 2021 9:18 PM

The feast of the Black Nazarene, honored annually with the “Traslacion” or grand procession of a wooden statue of Jesus Christ, will be celebrated differently this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Dano Tingcungco’s “24 Oras Weekend” report on Sunday, there will be no procession, salubong or pahalik this year to avoid COVID-19 transmission.

“Ang isang katangian dapat ng deboto ay disiplinado, kasi ayaw natin ang deboto ang maging spreader ng virus. Gusto natin ang deboto maging spreader ng good news,” Quiapo Church spokesman Fr. Douglas Badong said.

Devotees were told to attend mass in their own parishes instead of coming all the way to the Quiapo Church on January 9.

Despite this, Badong said the church has asked the Manila City government to close off certain roads along the southern part of Quezon Boulevard to make way for devotees.

More LED screens will also be installed outside the church.

The Quiapo Church has also asked the government’s inter-agency COVID-19 task force to allow devotees to occupy up to 50 percent of the venue to facilitate a faster turnover and prevent long lines.

Traslacion 2021 was canceled last October due to the pandemic. — Julia Mari Ornedo/BM, GMA News

SOURCE: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/770277/no-procession-salubong-pahalik-for-this-year-s-black-nazarene-feast-amid-pandemic/story/?utm_source=GMANews&utm_medium=Facebook