Jesus Nazareno procession draws hundreds of thousands of devotees

January 9, 2025 , 06:38 PM

Reuters

(January 9, 2025) – Hundreds of thousands of barefoot devotees joined an annual procession in the Philippines on Thursday of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ in one of the world’s grandest displays of Catholic devotion and expression of faith.

Filipinos turned the streets of Manila to a sea of maroon and gold and swarmed the “Black Nazarene,” a life-sized image of Jesus Christ bearing down a cross, as devotees jostled for a chance to pull the thick rope towing the carriage across the Philippine capital.

The procession’s organizers have estimated about 220,000 people attended mass before the procession, while over 190,000 people were estimated in the march and around church grounds, as of midday. That number is expected to swell as it moves along its 5.8-kilometer (3.6 miles) route.

Among them was 79-year-old Victoriano Tayuni, a devotee for much of his life, who was leading a small group of fellow believers to help deepen their devotion.

“I have not seen anyone from among us whose lives got worse. Everyone’s lives have improved, so more people are joining every year,” Tayuni said.

Rowena Bustamante, a 56-year-old seamstress, said she named her daughter after the image.

“I tell him (Black Nazarene) all my problems, especially with my child Nazarena. I named her after him, so she’s called Nazarena,” Bustamante said.

Some devotees threw white towels at the image as marshals wiped them of its surface, believing that touching the statue would bless them and heal their illnesses. Others broke through a barricade of policemen to move closer to the procession early in the march.

Nearly 80% of Filipinos identify as Roman Catholic, a key legacy of Spanish colonization in the Philippine archipelago for more than 300 years.

The late Filipino priest and theologian Sabino Vengco said in 2019 the statue’s revered black color was due to the mesquite wood used in its construction, debunking a longstanding myth its blackened image was due to a fire on the ship that carried it to the Philippines from Mexico in the early 17th century.

The procession, called the “Traslacion” or translation, commemorates the transfer of the Black Nazarene from a church inside the old Spanish capital of Intramuros to its present location in Quiapo Church.

Cardinal Jose Advincula, Manila’s archbishop, told devotees on Thursday to turn away from evil, greed, and vices and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

“Let us live up to his commandments, embrace his teachings, and follow his example. It is better to follow the Beloved Lord,” Advincula said in his homily ahead of the procession.

(Reporting by Mikhail Flores and Jay Ereno; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Bernadette Baum)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.