Manila Bulletin
Philippines
Metro Manila
New Andas rope installed after old one snaps; Traslacion crowd swells to over 820,000
Philippines
Metro Manila
New Andas rope installed after old one snaps; Traslacion crowd swells to over 820,000
New Andas rope installed after old one snaps; Traslacion crowd swells to over 820,000
Published Jan 9, 2026 06:19 pm
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Updated Jan 10, 2026 06:05 am
The Quiapo Church said Friday afternoon that a replacement rope has been attached to the Andas, following the earlier snapping of the rope while it was moving along Arlegui Street.
The image of Jesus Nazareno is surrounded by a sea of Catholic devotees as they take part in the traditional Traslacion along Carlos Palanca Street in Manila on Friday, January 9, 2026, as thousands of faithful joined the annual procession in celebration of the Feast of Jesus Nazareno, one of the country’s largest religious gatherings. (Photo by John Louie Abrina)
The Quiapo Church said it is currently connecting the new set of ropes to be used during the procession.
The annual Traslacion of Jesus Nazarene officially began early Friday morning, Jan. 9, as the Andas carrying the revered image started its procession from Quirino Grandstand at 3:58 a.m., signaling the opening of one of the country’s largest religious gatherings.
Church and city officials said the Andas moved out noticeably fast, passing through Katigbak Drive as thousands of devotees lined the route in the early hours of the morning.
The procession marks the transfer of the image of Jesus Nazarene from the Quirino Grandstand back to the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazarene in Quiapo, a tradition observed annually by millions of Filipino faithful.
More than 100, 000 devotees clad in maroon shirts and barefoot penitents began gathering along the route hours before the start of the procession, offering prayers, waving towels, and chanting as the Andas made its way through the streets of Manila.
Authorities earlier reminded devotees to observe the prescribed do’s and don’ts, including the prohibition on climbing the Andas and the importance of following designated routes, as part of heightened safety measures for Traslacion 2026.
The procession is expected to last 20 hours, with police, medical teams, and church marshals deployed along the route to manage crowd flow and respond to emergencies.
Updates will be provided as the Traslacion 2026 procession continues throughout the day:
Jan. 9, 2026
3:58 a.m. - The Traslacion 2026 starts.
5:46 a.m. - Crowd estimate as per the Manila DRRMO Along P. Burgos - 95,000
5:59 a.m. - Andas passes through Finance Road near National Museum.
7:58 a.m. - Andas now at Ayala Boulevard near Philippine Normal University (PNU) with an estimated crowd of over 139,000 according to Manila DRRMO.
8 a.m. - Traslacion crowd now at 210,000 according to the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) - Innovation Integrated GIS and Data Hub. The Andas is now passing through Ayala Boulevard near Ayala Bridge at around 8:00 a.m.
9:40 a.m. - Andas is currently making its way to Ayala Bridge, with authorities estimating a crowd of around 350,000, as Traslacion 2026 continues.
11:43 a.m. - Andas is now at Gen. Solano Street, approaching Carlos Palanca Street.
12 p.m. - Andas is now at P. Casal Street corner Carlos Palanca Street, with a running time of 8 hours.
12:40 p.m. - Andas is now at Carlos Palanca Street, drawing around 187,000 devotees, the Manila DRRMO said.
3:22 p.m. - A rope of the Andas snapped as it approached Arlegui Street.
3 p.m. - Devotees of Jesus Nazareno participating in the Traslacion now at 645,200 according to the Quiapo Church Command Post.
5 p.m. - Traslacion crowd now at 645,200, the Manila Police District (MPD) said.
5:40 p.m. – A replacement rope has been attached after the rope of the Andas snapped earlier while approaching Arlegui Street.
6 p.m. – Traslacion crowd reaches 961,200, Quiapo Church Command Post said.
7 p.m. – Number of devotees rises to 980,800, according to the Quiapo Church Command Post.
8:15 p.m. – Andas enters Fraternal Street, Quiapo Church Command Post said.
8:56 p.m. – Andas approaches Vergara Street as Traslacion crowd reaches 820,000.
9:00 p.m. - More than 2.4 million devotees joined the Traslacion.
9:53 p.m. – Andas arrives at Vergara Street, Quiapo Church Command Post said.
10:00 p.m. – Number of devotees participating reaches 822,500, Quiapo Church Command Post said.
11:10 p.m. – Andas remains along Duque de Alba Street, church official said.
11:27 p.m. - Andas is now approaching Castillejos Street.
Jan. 10, 2026
12:00 a.m. - Traslacion crowd swelled to more than 4.039 million according to Innovation Integrated GIS and Data Hub of the Manila Risk Reduction and Management office.
12:22 a.m. - Andas is now approaching Farnecio Street.
12:46 a.m. - Andas is now approaching Arlegui Street.
2:11 a.m. - Andas is now at Nepomuceno Street.
3:18 a.m. - Andas is now approaching Carcer Street.
3:40 a.m. - Andas is now at Hidalgo Street.
3:58 a.m. - The Traslacion has reached the 24-hour mark since it started at 3:59 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 making it the longest Traslacion for the past 10 years.
4:05 a.m. - Andas arrived at San Sebastian Church for the traditional "Dungaw", wherw the image of the Black Nazarene was met by the image of our Lady of Mount Carmel.
4:30 a.m. - The image of the Black Nazarene will temporarily stay at San Sebastian Church on Saturday, Jan. 10, temporarily halting its return to Quiapo Church according to Fr. Ramon Jade Licuanan, rector of the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno.
5:15 a.m. - The Traslacion of the Black Nazarene resumed despite the earlier announcement of a temporary stop at San Sebastian Church.