ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Metro Manila devider Antipolo braces for 3 million pilgrims on Holy Thursday and Good Friday

Antipolo braces for 3 million pilgrims on Holy Thursday and Good Friday

Published Apr 1, 2026 05:32 pm

At A Glance

  • The annual tradition of trekking to Antipolo City by millions of pilgrims from different parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces takes place from Holy Thursday to Good Friday.
The Antipolo City government is expecting more than three million pilgrims to join the annual "Alay Lakad" trek to the city proper from Holy Thursday, April 2, until the morning of Good Friday, April 3.
The main altar of the International Shrine of the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage with the Virgin of Antipolo at the center (photo from Antipolo Cathedral's FB page)
The main altar of the International Shrine of the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage with the Virgin of Antipolo at the center (photo from Antipolo Cathedral's FB page)
The office of City Mayor Casimiro "Jun" Ynares III said the pilgrimage of millions of Roman Catholic devotees of the Nuestra Señora dela Paz y Buenviaje or the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, also known as the Virgin of Antipolo, will begin from Metro Manila -- particularly Quiapo Church -- and culminate at the Antipolo Cathedral, which houses the centuries-old Marian image.
Pilgrims, many walking barefoot, start their journey on Holy Thursday afternoon and arrive at the Antipolo Cathedral -- now recognized as the International Shrine of the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage -- in the early hours of Good Friday.
Devotees of Quiapo's "Hesus Nazareno" from various chapter organizations are also among the groups participating in the annual trek to Antipolo, Rizal Province, widely known as the Pilgrimage Capital of the Philippines.
Upon reaching the shrine, devotees traditionally toss coins and paper bills towards the altar, offering prayers and wishes.
To manage the influx of pilgrims, road closures and traffic rerouting will be implemented by the local governments of Cainta, Taytay, and Antipolo starting Thursday afternoon.
According to the advisory, Ortigas Avenue -- from Cainta Junction to the Antipolo Cathedral -- will be closed to vehicles from 6 p.m. on Holy Thursday until 6 a.m. on Good Friday.
The city government reminded the participants to observe discipline, emphasizing that Alay Lakad (penitential walk) is a solemn activity.
Hundreds of police and traffic personnel, augmented by the military, auxiliary forces, and barangay peacekeepers in Cainta, Taytay and Antipolo, will be deployed to secure the event.
Rizal Governor Nina Ynares and Mayor Ynares appealed to participants to keep the tradition peaceful, orderly, and sacred.
Rizal Police Provincial Office (PPO) director Col. Eleazar Ruga Barber, Jr.  said that police desks have been set up along the pilgrimage routes to ensure public safety.
The PPO has posted guidelines for Alay Lakad on its social media pages.
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.