Thousands of Filipino Catholics joined an annual procession in Manila on Friday, walking behind a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ as authorities tightened security and many worshippers raised anger over a corruption scandal involving influential legislators.
After a midnight mass at a seaside park in Manila, the wooden Jesus the Nazarene statue was placed on a four-wheel open carriage before dawn for the start of the procession, which Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said could draw millions of devotees throughout the day and into the late night.
One of Asia’s major religious spectacles, the procession meanders through nearly six kilometers (3.7 miles) of Manila’s congested narrow roads near the heavily guarded presidential palace, presenting what authorities described as a major security challenge.
To keep order, authorities deployed about 15,000 police officers backed by intelligence agents. Along the route, they imposed a gun and liquor ban, prohibited drones and backpacks, and jammed cellphone signals, while government and Red Cross medics staffed first-aid tents set up throughout the course.
Officials said more than 250 worshippers were treated for bruises and sprains by midday. An hour before the procession began, a Filipino photographer collapsed on a nearby sidewalk and died while being brought to a hospital by medics, according to officials and two Associated Press journalists who tried to assist the man.
As the crowd pressed forward, hundreds of thousands of devotees—many wearing maroon shirts imprinted with images of the Nazarene—jostled to get near the carriage carrying the statue by mid-morning. Many tried to climb up the carriage or threw small towels at volunteers to wipe parts of the cross and the statue, based on beliefs that the Nazarene’s figure could cure ailments and help bring good health, jobs and a better life.
The procession also unfolded amid growing public outrage over a major corruption scandal that erupted last year and implicated dozens of members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The allegations involve kickbacks from construction companies and thousands of substandard or non-existent flood control projects across an archipelago prone to deadly flash floods.
Several government engineers and construction company executives have been detained and are facing corruption trials. Many Filipinos said they were frustrated with delays in implementing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vow to have legislators accused of wrongdoing locked up in jail by last Christmas.
As worshippers marched, large numbers repeatedly chanted “jail them now, jail them now.” The anomalies were described as allegedly dating back years to the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte, with allegations that could involve many government officials and legislators whose lavish lifestyles—along with fleets of luxury cars, private jets and mansions—have fueled street protests, some led by the dominant Roman Catholic Church.
During mass at the Rizal Park grandstand before the procession, Bishop Rufino Sescon criticized officials he said had been implicated in the corruption scandal but refused to resign despite public outrage. Sescon said, “In our country today, there are those who refuse to step down even though they made mistakes and got caught, even though they are causing hardship to the people, even though the poor are suffering, even though the country is being flooded and destroyed.” He also said, “Enough is enough. Have mercy on the people. Have some shame. Step down voluntarily in the name of mercy and love;”
Venus Lopez, a 62-year-old devotee carrying a replica of the Nazarene statue, made a similar call. Lopez told The Associated Press she hoped corrupt government officials would go away and said they did not deserve to be seated in power, adding that she would pray to the Nazarene to help banish corrupt officials from government.
The life-size statue of Jesus the Nazarene, crowned with thorns and bearing a cross, is believed to have been brought from Mexico to Manila on a galleon in 1606 by Spanish missionaries. The ship carrying it caught fire, but the charred statue survived, and some believers say its endurance through fires, earthquakes, and intense bombings during World War II reflects mystical powers.
The spectacle highlights a brand of Catholicism in the Philippines that includes folk superstitions, and the procession continues traditions alongside other public demonstrations of faith, including a Good Friday practice in which dozens of Filipinos nail themselves to crosses that draws huge crowds each year.