El Shaddai devotees flocked early at Quirino Grandstand in Manila for the first day of the traditional “Pahalik" or kissing of the image on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Officials of Quiapo Church said the pahalik will run until the eve of the feast on Jan. 20.
The Manila Police District-Ermita Police Station (MPD-PS-5) Station Commander Lt. Col. Gilbert Cruz said that devotees started to arrive at the venue as early as 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
The pahalik started at around 7 p.m. after the mass for the volunteers.
Authorities installed plastic barriers and railings along Quirino Grandstand to serve as a barricade for the queueing area.
Around 6 p.m., an hour before the opening of pahalik, devotees who lined up at the Quirino Grandstand entrance had already reached 1,290, police said.
As of 8:37 p.m., police said that around 2,500 devotees were already in the area and had joined the event.
The traditional pahalik or “pagpupugay” was conducted days before the return on Jan. 20 of the gawain or the weekend gathering for the feast of Santo Nino de Cebu after three years of hiatus due to Covid-19, where millions of devotees are expected to join.
Devotees were still not allowed to kiss the feet of the Santo Nino, as the city government and the Quiapo Church said, to ensure safety against COVID-19.
Quiapo Church communications coordinator Silgen Frias Cabrito said that they were only allowed to touch the Nazareno and wipe their towel on the Black Nazarene.
“Dahil po sa sinabi ni Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, maaari idampi ang [kanilang] mga panyo at bimpo sa imahen at [ito] ang idinampi nila o ang kanilang hahalikan at hindi ang imahen (as what Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan said, devotees handkerchiefs and can be wiped to the Black Nazarene, and it is what they will kiss and not the actual Nazareno),” he said.
Around 300 police were deployed to secure the event, as well as personnel from Manila Disaster Risk Reduction Management (Manila DRRMO) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP). Portalets were also installed around the area for devotees to use.
Meanwhile, some devotees said that they are happy and excited that Gawain is finally back after three years.
“S'yempre nakakatuwa at nakakasabik dahil eto na ulit at magagawa na pagtapos ng ilang taon. Hinding-hindi kami magsasawang mamanata sa poong Nazareno dahil malaki ang pasasalamat ko sa kaniya sa kung anong mayroon kami ng pamilya ko ngayon (we are happy and excited because we can go to the procession again after three years. We will never get tired of being Black Nazarene devotees because I am very grateful to him for what my family and I have today),” a 55-year-old and a devotee for 20 years now, said.
“Hindi naman alintana kahit gaano katagal kami naghintay pumila para makahawak sa poon. Iyong pagbabalik ng prusisyon ang talagang hinihintay namin, nasimulan namin ‘to na minana ko pa sa magulang ko at ipapasa ko hanggang sa magiging anak ko. Kaya sana magtuloy-tuloy na ulit ito (It didn't matter how long we waited in line to be able to touch the Nazarene. The return of the procession is what we are really waiting for; we started it, which I inherited from my parents, and I will pass it on to my kids. So I hope this procession will never stop again),” a 35-year-old and a devotee for 12 years said.
https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/7/devotees-flock-early-to-quirino-grandstand-for-black-nazarene-pahalik
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