Manila tightens security ahead of religious procession

MANILA: Thousands of security forces were deployed in the Philippine capital as devotees of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ converged in a public park ahead of an annual procession.

The Black Nazarene was displayed on a public grandstand in Rizal Park in Manila to allow devotees to touch and kiss the feet of the statue before the procession today.

More than 10,000 people lined up at the park for the vigil called pahalik or kissing, according to early estimates by police.

Nearly 2,500 police officers were also stationed at the park.

Police will be on full-alert status throughout the activities, deploying a total of 7,200 personnel to work with the military, medical teams and other emergency groups, said director Guillermo Eleazar, head of the Manila police force.

There is no confirmed threat as of the moment for the annual feast.

But Eleazar stressed that police were taking all information seriously.

Last year, more than 2.5 million people were estimated to have taken part in the pahalik and the procession that traversed more than 6km took the entire day.

The Black Nazarene – a wooden statue crowned with thorns and bearing a cross – is believed to have been brought from Mexico to Manila in 1606 by Spanish missionaries.