DILG warns of petty criminals, thieves during Traslación 2026

Devotees participating in the ongoing procession of the Black Nazarene in Manila, called the Traslación, were reminded to be wary of pickpockets and thieves taking advantage of the event, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Friday.

In an official statement, the DILG said it received early reports of pickpocketing incidents and snatchers victimizing devotees while they were practicing their faith.

“Wala pong pinipiling panahon ang mga mandarambong kaya po sana ay patuloy po na mag-ingat ang mga deboto na nakikilahok sa Traslación [Looters do not choose a specific time, so devotees participating in the Traslación are urged to remain vigilant],” the DILG said in a Facebook post issued a few hours earlier.

“Nakabantay po ang PNP (Philippine National Police) ngunit importante din po na tayo ay mag-ingat [The PNP is on alert, but it is also important for us to be cautious],” it added.

More than 18,000 police officers from the PNP were deployed along the Traslación route.

The PNP also deployed plainclothes operatives and intelligence units to counter pickpocketing, theft, scams, and other opportunistic offenses, the DILG said.

Organizers said the Traslación 2026 is expected to be completed within 15 hours.

The procession departed from Quirino Grandstand at 4:00 a.m and is set to return to its home at Quiapo Church.

As of this writing, the carriage, locally known as the andas, of the Black Nazarene was traversing Arlegui Street in Quiapo, Manila, according to the city government’s livestream.

The Black Nazarene procession is the annual transfer of the centuries-old image of Jesus Christ, drawing thousands—if not millions—of barefoot devotees as an expression of faith and penance.

Last year’s feast of the Black Nazarene drew an estimated 8.1 million devotees, one of the highest turnouts recorded since the COVID-19 pandemic.— Edg Adrian A. Eva