THE Philippine National Police (PNP) said that they had yet to detect any security threats for the coming Feast of the Black Nazarene on Jan. 9, 2024.
However, the PNP said that they will be making stringent monitoring schemes, after the Mindanao State University-Marawi bombing.
According to PNP spokesperson and information chief Col. Jean Fajardo, presently they had not monitored any serious threat during holiday season and even in the preparation for the traslacion.
“Kagaya ng dati at lagi nating kinagawian hindi tayo nagkukumpiyansa patuloy tayo nagvavalidate ng mga information na narereceive. Ininintensify yung intelligence monitoring natin katuwang yung mga ibang security forces para kung meron man tayong nakikita na mga vulnerabilities as early as now ay nakakapaglatag tayo ng karampatang security measures to prevent any untoward incident,” she stressed
Fajardo said that Manila Police District (MPD) Director Col. Arnold Thomas Ibay had been tirelessly conduct simulation exercises, communication exercises, walk through on the traslacion, which shall start at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park and up to the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene or Quiapo Church in Quezon Boulevard.
“Tuloy tuloy yung ating pagprepare para sa Traslacion at in fact yung ating DD (District Director) ay nag iikot at nakikipagpulong at tuloy yung kanilang ginagawang inspection doon sa mga dadaanan ng prusisyon at kahapon ay kausap ko siya kahit tayo ay nakafocus sa holiday season ay tuloy tuloy at nagsisimula na rin sila doon sa kanilang mga simulation exercises pati communication exercise para siguraduhin na magiging ligtas yung traslaction especially after what happened sa MSU kaya binabantayan din natin at magdedeploy ng ating mga K9 dogs lalong lalo diyan sa paligid ng simbahan ng Quiapo at sa lahat ng dadaanan na ruta ng prusisyon,” Fajardo said.
The said religious procession starts from the Quirino Grandstand, then will turn left to Katigbak Street; pass through Padre Burgos Street; and along Finance Road, and Palanca, Arlegui, Fraternal, Vergara, Duque de Alba, Castillejos, Farnecio, Nepomuceno, Concepcion Aguila, Carcer, Hidalgo, Bilibid Viejo, Gil Puyat, and J.P De Guzman Streets; under the Quezon Bridge; and Villalobos Street en route to Plaza Miranda right outside the church.
The year 2024 will mark the first time that the Traslacion will return to its old format after the celebration was suspended from 2021 to 2023 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
For this year, the Quiapo Church held a “Walk of Faith” without the Traslacion as they were able to lure 1.2 million devotees over two days.
In 2020, the procession had about three million participants joining the shorter Traslacion route that lasted 16 hours.
In 2018 and 2019, the police estimated an average crowd of four million, both lasting for nearly 24 hours.
