LRTA ready to serve devotees during Black Nazarene feast

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is ready for the heavy flow of passengers on Saturday as millions of devotees take part in the annual celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quaipo, Manila. LRTA administrator Melquiades Robles said the agency would ensure the safety of all the passengers of both LRT Line 1 (Baclaran to Munomento) and Line 2 (Recto to Santolan). “Additional security personnel with bomb-sniffing dogs will be deployed in all Line 1 and Line 2 stations, which will be augmented with personnel from the PNP’s Regional Mobile Group," Robles said. Twenty-six trains, including two spare trains, will be available to service the devotees and the regular passengers, he added. “Normally we only field 18 trains during Saturdays, but since ridership is normally high during the feast day celebration, we will be deploying more trains. We are also very flexible, we may add more trains if we see that 24 trains would not be enough," Robles said. The LRTA will likewise deploy medical and public assistance personnel and additional tellers at the UN Avenue, Central, Carriedo, D. Jose and Recto stations to accommodate the expected surge in passenger volume, according to the agency's administrator. Just like last year, the LRTA will still allow barefoot passengers to board its trains in deference to the customary celebration of the Black Nazarene Day. “We saw that it was very effective in drawing more passengers to use the LRT, that is why will continue to allow them to board the train this year, Robles said. The LRTA is looking forward to breaking last year’s record of 582,989 passengers for Line 1 as well as the combined ridership of 785,674 for both lines. Every 9th of January, tens of thousands of devotees from all walks of life come to Quiapo Church to take part in the procession as a way of strengthening their faith or fulfilling their vow or “panata". The image of the Black Nazarene will be brought to the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Friday, the eve of the feast. On Saturday, activities will start at 3 a.m. with a Holy Hour, and a concelebrated Mass at 6 a.m. The procession in Quiapo will start at 7:30 a.m. Meanwhile, Manila’s 1,000-strong police force will be deployed to secure the procession route, where five million devotees are expected to turn up, according to the procession’s ground commander, Supt. Ernesto Tendero of the Manila Police- Station 3. As millions are expected turn up for the procession, EcoWaste, an environmental group, expressed fears that candidates in the May elections would use the occasion to promote themselves. - LBG/ARCS/GMANews.TV