The Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno is considering major adjustments to next year’s Black Nazarene procession following this year’s 30-hour, 50-minute event that left four people dead and around 1,700 others needing medical attention.
Friday’s Traslacion drew an estimated 5.5 million devotees along its nearly 6-kilometer route. Including the novena since Dec. 31 and the two-day “Pahalik,” a total of 9.6 million participated, according to Church and police estimates.
The procession, which featured mostly barefoot male devotees, became the longest on record, highlighting ongoing challenges with crowd control, safety, and logistics.
During a press conference on Saturday, Fr. Robert Arellano, spokesperson for the Nazareno 2026 program, said key changes will be implemented for future events. These include a sturdier and more robust carriage or “andas,” potential adjustments to the route length, and improvements in crowd management.
“Definitely, we will have changes,” Arellano said.
“There will be an assessment of the areas that we need to improve or change,” he added.
One recurring issue was the dense crowds forming in front of the andas, which slowed its progress. The thick rope used to pull the carriage snapped, and the wheels were damaged from the weight of devotees trying to mount it, further delaying the procession.
Three of the four fatalities were participants in the traslacion. The fourth, tabloid photojournalist Itoh Son, collapsed early Friday morning at a police station near the starting point at Quirino Grandstand.
After 24 hours, Quiapo Church officials temporarily moved the Nazarene image to San Sebastian Church to cut the rites short. However, some devotees, including the lay group Hijos del Nazareno, protested, forcing the procession to continue.
The 2025 traslacion marks another instance of the growing scale and risk of the centuries-old tradition, which has seen similar tragedies in past years: four deaths in 2015, two in 2016, and one in 2018.
Fr. Arellano emphasized that the Church aims to balance devotion with safety. “We want the faithful to continue their tradition, but we also want everyone to be safe,” he said.
