Less than a week after returning to school from the Christmas break, students in the city of Manila are getting another day off. In an executive order issued today, former president and current Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada suspended classes in the city to make way for the Black Nazarene procession taking place on Tuesday.
This suspension applies to all levels in public and private schools in the city and all departments in local government offices except police officers, traffic enforcers, and disaster and risk reduction management workers.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court (SC) also suspended work for the SC and the Court of Appeals, both located in Ermita, Manila, as well as the first- and second-level trial courts in Manila.
#WorkSuspension in the SC, the CA, and the first and second level trial courts in the City of Manila for January 9, 2018 (Tuesday). pic.twitter.com/ZuMwizzc3A
— Philippine Supreme Court Public Information Office (@SCPh_PIO) January 3, 2018
The procession of the Black Nazarene, or Traslacion, is an annual event that happens every Jan. 9. A life-sized statue of a dark-skinned Jesus Christ carrying a cross is paraded on the streets of Manila with as much as 1.5 million devotees following the carriage. Many Filipinos believe the statue is miraculous and answers prayers or cure diseases when one touches it.
Because so many people come out for the event, certain roads are usually closed to make way for the procession. This year, a total of 6,500 police officers and augmentation forces will be in Metro Manila to keep the event under control.
