DAVAO CITY - Devotees in Cagayan de Oro City observed the religious feast of the Black Nazarene by awaiting the motorcade of its replica outside their residences.

In a statement on Saturday, City Mayor Oscar Moreno said the motorcade held Friday night, January 8, was "generally peaceful and orderly" and showed that the local government "found ways to allow the annual observance of the religious event without compromising on minimum public health protocols."

"The faithful still were able to pray to the image albeit in the safety of their own homes. Last Friday evening’s (Jan. 8) motorcade showed na ang komunidad, ang City Hall ug ang simbahan nagsinabtanay og nagtinabangay aron sa pagsaulog sa Black Nazarene (Last Friday evening’s (Jan. 8) motorcade showed that the community, City Hall and the Church understood each other and worked together in celebrating the Black Nazarene event). And I am thankful (to all who made the event a success)," Moreno said.  

"Ang importante is nangita ta pamaagi (The important thing is we found ways). That is, to allow the faithful to pay homage to the Black Nazarene and at the same time prevent the people from unnecessarily exposed to COVID-19," he said.

Moreno added that the conduct of the Black Nazarene event in the city could serve as a classic example to other local governments around the country on how to conduct major events without compromising on minimum health protocols.

Moreno added that the conduct of the motorcade was made possible through the continued dialogue between the city government and the church.

"We learned from last year’s motorcade during Good Friday and we applied those lessons at the Black Nazarene motorcade," Moreno said.

Devotees outside their houses were prohibited from approaching the Black Nazarene and from wiping it with cloth. Moreno said this was a minimum health protocol to avoid the crowding of people.

Meanwhile. Lt. Col. Lemuel Gonda, deputy director for operations of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO), reported that there was no untoward incident during the 10 p.m. Black Nazarene motorcade. The motorcade ended at 11:45 p.m.

"The faithful generally complied with minimum public health protocols. We saw some faithful gathering at the sides but they were all family members who wore their face masks and face shields. The city police worked with the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA), City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department (CDRRMD), the City Health Office, the Disiplina Muna advocacy team, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and PNP-10 augmentation team (to secure the activity),"Gonda said.