MANILA: Filipino devotees, estimated by the police at 1.5 million, joined the annual religious procession in yet another massive show of faith and fervor in honour of the image of Jesus Christ, more popularly called the Black Nazarene.

The centre of the religious celebration is at the Catholic pro-cathedral at the Quiapo district in Manila where another one million faithful in this predominantly Catholic nation of 100 million Filipinos waited for the “translacion” (procession) which is projected to end from the Rizal Park about a kilometre away at dawn on Wednesday.

Officials said that due to the dense crowd, they have extended medical assistance to more than 1,000 devotees - about 600 from the Philippine Red Cross and close to 500 from the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) through their first aid stations set up along the route of the procession.

The Red Cross and the MMDA reported that the minor cases they attended to included victims who suffered lacerations, abrasions, dizziness, fever, vomiting and the like.

On the other hand, the major cases included difficulty in breathing, fractures and fainting spells that prompted them to rush some of the victims to the hospitals, officials said.

Security, provided by about 10,000 policemen and soldiers, was tight throughout the procession route, including the decision to ban mobile phone services in the Quiapo area for the procession.

Devotees believe that coming in contact with the image - touching it by hand or wiping it with a towel - could cure even the most serious of ailments.

Others said they joined the procession or paid homage while waiting for the arrival of the image at the Quiapo church to thank the Black Nazarene for all the blessings granted them.

Exemplifying the fervor and devotion to the image were shouts of “Viva Nazareno “ (Hail the Black Nazarene) and the waving of white handkerchiefs or towels as the “andas” (carriage) wended its way to the Quiapo church.

Last year, about 1.4 million devotees attended the procession, which lasted for 22 hours, considered one of the longest in recent history.

Meanwhile, officials reported that about 700 foreigners, most of them journalists from the US, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Europe, have arrived in Manila to observe the procession.