The police have estimated at least 2.3 million devotees have joined January 18’s solemn foot procession. | Morexette Marie Erram
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The heat of the sun, the dust on parts of the road and the six kilometer walk of the Solemn Foot Procession of the image of the Señor Santo Niño did not bother the devotees as they keep up with the carroza carrying the Holy Child this afternoon, January 18, 2020.
It was a show of faith and thanksgiving for the sea of devotees, who walked the 6 km procession route or those who waited in the sidewalks to get a glimpse of the Holy Child when its caroza would pass by their area.
It was a sea of devotees as the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) estimated the crowd joining the procession to be at 2.3 million to 3 million.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Clark Arriola, CCPO spokesperson, said they based their crowd estimate from the estimated number of individuals to have entered the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño and joined the procession.
However, Arriola said they would have to verify these numbers recorded by the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO).
Read more: Solemn procession: Devotion, faith to Santo Niño help devotees endure heat, 6 km walk
Meanwhile, Police Colonel Engelbert Soriano, CCPO chief, said they did not encounter major problems in terms of securing the route of the procession.
There were also no crimes reported yet as of this time, Soriano said.
He also cited police making adjustments to the planned entry as he allowed several people to cross the overpass during one instance when the devotees crowded the sidewalks.
Soriano said their only concern during the event was how to make the flow of the procession faster, so that devotees would not have to stay longer on closed roads to lessen the traffic buildup.
He said since there were more people who attended, it was understandable that the procession pace ended up slower than expected.
He also cited the cooperation of the public to their security measures.
““Everybody is cooperating with the security coverage that we’re implementing,” said Soriano./dbs