THE more-than-30-hour Traslación procession of the Poong Jesus Nazareno of Quiapo from Jan. 9 to 10, 2026, was undoubtedly the longest Traslación in its 19-year history, the longest Nazarene procession in centuries, and perhaps the longest religious procession ever in this country!
Amidst this record-breaking event, I was there observing at the Quirino Grandstand in the beginning, and then at the Nazareno Command Center waiting for it to end. It was the first time I had a five-hour full sleep at the Quiapo Church premises in my 10-year “pagtambay” at the Command Center.
Before this year’s, these were the top three longest Traslacións: 2012 was 22 hours, and much of it was due to a serious terrorist threat and one of the carriage’s tires exploding at the beginning. Despite that, the devotees continued. With a more systematic counting by the ERIC, we have clocked 2017 (22 hours, 19 minutes) and 2018 (22 hours, 9 minutes) due to the sheer number of devotees who climb the “andas” to touch the Nazarene.
The two-year break of the procession offered the Quiapo Church a fresh start to make modifications. When the andas resumed in 2024, it had a new design. Former rector and now Balanga Bishop Jun Sescon told me that he stopped the “pagsampa” or climbing but allowed the “pamamasan,” or the carrying and pulling of the rope tradition, to continue. The new andas covers the Nazarene in glass and is lighter, and so the pulling and the “salyahan,” or pushing at the back, despite some people climbing, made that year’s Traslación a record-breaking 14 hours, 59 minutes and 10 seconds. That is why the next year, 2025, some devotees knew better, so they started to push the lighter andas to the side (banqueta) so they could climb it and delay the progress. That year, the Traslación lasted 20 hours, 45 minutes, and 4 seconds. In many respects, it is like a game for some.
This year, the andas stopped for about 4 to 5 hours on Arlegui Street before turning right to Fraternal. What were the factors that led to the delay of the procession?
I thought at first that the sheer number of people was the biggest factor, reported at 9,640,290. I observed when I went to the Quirino Grandstand that I had never seen the “pahalik” with that thick a line of people. Of course, with a significant number of devotees wanting to touch the andas, it would have really delayed the procession.
Most “mamamasan” whom I talked to told me — including mamamasan Donn Elcid of Hijos del Nazareno Central — that there were so many young people who joined the “pagsalang” (the climbing or the carrying of the rope), which he saw as very dangerous. Some even told me that the younger devotees were more aggressive. I have always said that it was all right to start young and be a bit rowdy because in my interviews with veteran devotees, I found that they had also started with their “barkada” or even gangs, and that they wanted to prove something and go through some rite of passage. But they would eventually mature because of having been exposed early to the devotion. And I said this continuity is the secret power of the devotion, that is why it has lasted for centuries.
But a very good observation was made by mamamasan Enrico Macaranas Jr., which also squares with my observations of some video footages I saw. He said that the younger devotees do not understand anymore the “coda” of the language of the mamamasan. They do not know the meaning of the words that the Hijos use for instructions; no one does the “timon,” or guiding the mamamasan in between the two ropes to help straighten an “otso” rope, when devotees should actually lift the rope up to straighten it. Doing the “salya” is not slamming “barda” but carefully using the force of the body by pushing the andas while mindful that others do not get hurt. Also, the barriers of glass, steel and police tend to get many devotees even more triggered to go to the andas. The more you try to stop them, the more they will push forward.
After sleeping on the floor for a full five hours, I woke up to the decision of the parish priest, Father Jade Licuanan, following reports from the DOH about dwindling resources and medical personnel who had already been there for more than a day, to stop the Traslación at its 24th hour and bring the “andas” to San Sebastian Church after the “Dungaw.” But supposedly the “Batang Quiapo,” who balked at the idea of their streets being bypassed by the andas, redirected it to bring it home to Quiapo Church.
If I had been awake, I would have told them that any attempt to thwart the procession would have failed. But to the credit of Father Jade, at least the whole country knew that he tried to do something, and it was the people’s will that the procession continued.
At the command center, I was discussing with Admiral Alexander Pama while watching all of these; we realized that with one rope instead of two, and the mamamasan having pulled the andas backwards, would tend to pull it faster.
Perhaps the Quiapo Church too can make a video formation and basic instructions for the mamamasan. Maybe they can start again letting people touch the andas on Padre Burgos, where the streets are wider to saturate the crowd at poor old Quiapo.
That people wanted to be strong in the face of so much political and economic crises that affect their personal lives was perhaps the reason for the intensity and the sheer number of people. The Traslación is the one day in their lives that reminds them collectively that there will always be hope, as Jesus, the Nazarene, was victorious against death and was resurrected. So, future plans should take this into consideration, not to deprive them of the opportunity to do their devotion because, as we have learned, “Sa hinaba-haba ng prusisyon, sa simbahan din ang tuloy.”
