Shorter, faster ‘Pahalik’ noted this year

Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2020 04:05:09 +0000

DEVOTEES line up to kiss the feet of the Black Nazarene at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila. (Ali Vicoy)

Thousands of devotees experienced a shorter and faster “Pahalik” of the Black Nazarene this year at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Wednesday.

Jojo Apolonio, 33, said that he and his three cousins only took an hour to be able to touch and kiss the revered image of the Black Nazarene.

“Mga 7:40 a.m., nandito na kami. Nakahalik kami lapgas 9:30,” he said.

“Nakaraan, 5 a.m. nakapila na kami. Tapos nakahalik lang, magmamadaling araw,” he added.

Like Apolonio, 65-year-old Dong Montoya did not expect the faster pace to reach the image as he even set up a tent and camped out at the Grandstand on Tuesday morning.

“Kahapon (Tuesday) pa lang, nandito na ako. Hanggang mamayang madaling araw (Thursday) na ako dito, pagkatapos ng misa,” he said.

By 7 a.m., the Manila Police District (MPD) estimated a crowd of 5,000 devotees falling in two lines — one for regular believers and the other for persons with disabilities, senior citizens, an
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