A gun and liquor ban, and road closures in Manila  will be implemented starting Wednesday night to prepare for the grand procession during the Feast of the Black Nazarene, the Manila Police District (MPD) said.

In an interview with dzBB, MPD Director Brig. Gen. Anthony Thomas Ibay said the liquor ban will be effective starting midnight until 9 pm on Thursday, while the gun ban will run from midnight to past 10 pm on Thursday.

He added that road closures will start at 9 pm.

The Feast of the Black Nazarene is one of the biggest Catholic events for many years. Devotees jostle to touch the statue, which is housed in Quiapo Church, as it is said to have healing powers.

Ibay said they will be deploying around 12, 500 police on Thursday, the day of the Traslacsion.

“That doesn’t include the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), BJMP (Bureu of Jail Management and Penology), and MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority). This gives us an additional 2,000 personnel, bringing the total to 14,500. But in case it’s needed, we still have standby personnel ready to deploy,” Ibay said.

Ibay said the MPD has not monitored any threats that could disrupt the feast.

“We have not monitored any (active threats). However, our security posture remains at a high level because every time there is an event like this or a high-density gathering, we ensure the deployment of an adequate number of uniformed personnel. Additionally, our plainclothes officers are also present,” he said.

Ibay said they are waiting for the approval of their request for a signal interruption during the event.

“I am not the signatory for the request but it is requested by our regional office. We are just waiting for the approval,” he said.

Ibay said they have existing checkpoints where the road closures begin.

He advised the public not to bring giant replicas to the procession and to not climb the carriage where the image of the Black Nazarene is placed.

Ibay ordered the police to be tolerant to devotees who may possibly violate the rules.

“Now, our order and request to the police is to extend their patience and understanding because we know there will always be challenges. There are those who can be unruly or difficult to manage. Despite this, we remind them to stay alert and vigilant because of the sheer volume of people. Some of our fellow citizens may take advantage of the situation, as these are the kinds of opportunities they wait for to exploit others,” Ibay said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS