MANILA Mayor Maria Sheilah Lacuna-Pangan has directed all concerned city government departments, bureaus and offices to do their part in ensuring the orderly and peaceful holding of the Sto. Niño feast procession in Tondo on Sunday.
In a statement on Saturday, Lacuna-Pangan said she particularly talked to newly promoted Manila Police chief director Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay about the posting and deployment of enough uniformed personnel on the routes that will be taken by the procession.
The Manila Police District has immediately released a traffic advisory where several roads were closed to vehicles to give way for the "Lakbayaw" procession, which started Saturday morning.
Also, the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau (MTPB), the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO), city hospitals, the City Engineer's Office, and the Department of Public Services were alerted to monitor the celebration.
The Sto. Niño de Tondo feast is celebrated annually every third Sunday of January in Tondo.
Devotees carry statues and images of the Sto. Niño as they join the long walk in honor of the Holy Child Jesus.
The event is a huge religious celebration by Filipino Catholics marked by processions, ati-atihan, street dancing, banner-waving, and chanting "Viva, Sto. Niño!" as well as the holding of a series of Eucharistic celebrations (Masses) throughout the day.
According to the Department of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Tondo was an old kingdom before the arrival of the Spaniards in the Philippines, and it was already known as a center of commerce and trade. Tondo and its powerful leader were first mentioned in Laguna Copperplate Inscription in the 10th century.
The image of the child Jesus in Tondo is the second-oldest image of the Sto.Niño in the Philippines, following the Sto. Niño de Cebu.
It is said that the image originated in Acapulco, Mexico, and was given to the Augustinian priests who were destined to Tondo.
While the feast is expected to be attended by many Manileños, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered a suspension of issuing permits to carry firearms outside residence within the city of Manila from 12:01 a.m. on Saturday to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, as part of its security measures.
Manila police said only members of the PNP, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and other law enforcement agencies performing official duties and in agency-prescribed uniforms are allowed to carry firearms.