(UPDATE) AFTER over 30 hours of traveling, the image of the Black Nazarene returned to Quiapo Church on Saturday. Church officials said two devotees had died during the procession, but offered no other details.
The andas, or carriage, containing the Nazarene’s image arrived at the church at 10:49 a.m. on Saturday, after starting the procession at 3:59 a.m. on Friday, according to the Manila Public Information Office (PIO).
The total running time of the Traslacion was one day, six hours and 50 minutes.
This year’s Traslacion has officially become the longest procession in history, having surpassed the 22-hour, 14-minute record that was set in 2012.
According to the Manila PIO at 4 a.m. on Saturday, the andas (carriage) containing the image of the Nazarene reached San Sebastián Church for the traditional “Dungaw,” which is a solemn moment with the images of the Nazarene and the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel de San Sebastian.
Around 300,000 have gathered for the “Dungaw” as the image makes its way toward the Plaza del Carmen, according to the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO).
At 8:07 a.m., the andas would later reach Hidalgo Street.
The image arrived at the Plaza Miranda at 10:40 a.m., before entering the Quiapo Church nine minutes later.
In its 11 a.m. report, the Philippine Red Cross reported that they treated 856 patients, with 415 being checked for vital signs, 409 minor cases, 13 major cases and 19 transported to hospitals, with 2,204 devotees given welfare assistance.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Nazareno 2026 spokesman Fr. Robert Arellano said two devotees died during the Traslacion.
The Manila PIO recorded an accumulated total of 9,640,290 people that joined the annual procession, from the start to the end, according to the Accumulated Grand Total Drone Crowd Estimate of the Innovation Integrated GIS and Data Hub of the MDRRMO.
Asked what could be the reason for the slow pace of this year’s procession, Arellano said so many people blocked the way of the andas, causing it to slow down.
“Another factor is when devotees climb the andas. Despite our appeal [not to climb the andas], people still choose to do it as part of their devotions,” he added, noting that exhaustion may also be part of the slow movement of the carriage.
Quiapo Church reported that 9.6 million attended the celebration.
The Philippine National Police (PNP), on the other hand, said at least 7.3 million devotees were reported to have converged in various parts of Manila, based on drone shots and crowd estimates from the Quirino Grandstand, along the procession routes and up to Quiapo Church.
Acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. commended all commanders and uniformed personnel on the ground for their hard work, dedication and perseverance to secure the Feast of Jesus Nazareno.
“This is the longest Traslacion so far, and this an impressive show of faith and devotion of millions of Filipino devotees. On the part of the Philippine National Police, this is also a remarkable display of discipline, perseverance and commitment to our mandate of serving and protecting the people,” Nartatez said.
At least 18,000 police personnel were deployed, some from the Police Regional Offices in Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
“Overall, we consider the Traslacion generally peaceful and orderly despite the sheer volume of devotees,” Nartatez added.