Philippine Red Cross Gears Up For Traslacion 2016

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) said on Thursday it is ready to deploy some 400 PRC personnel, ambulances and other rescue vehicles and equipment during the Feast of the Black Nazarene procession or Traslacion 2016 on Saturday.

PRC Chairman Richard Gordon said the deployment is the agency’s way of helping ensure the safety and well-being of devotees who will be attending and joining the annual celebration of the feast of the revered Black Nazarene of Quiapo Church.

Aside from the 400 PRC staff, a total of 20 ambulances, four rescue boats, two Humvees, two 6×6 trucks, one fire truck, one rescue truck and one fire tanker will be fielded for the procession.

At least 13 PRC chapters will participate in the Red Cross operations during the event.

Gordon said that 18 first aid stations will be set up along the path of the procession, in addition to an emergency field hospital at the Bonifacio Shrine near the Manila City Hall.

The first aid ambulance stations will be set up at the following areas: Quirino Grandstand, Museo Pambata, Kalabaw Statue in Rizal Park, Katigbak (Police Station side), Aquino Monument, Roundtable, National Museum, Bonifacio Monument, Philippine Post Office Building, MacArthur Foot Bridge, Escolta St. near Savory Restaurant ruins, Santa Cruz Church, Palanca St., Nepomuceno/Tanduay St., Plaza Carmen, Isetann Recto, and 7-11 Convenience Store beside the Quiapo Church.

Volunteers and staff of the PRC manning first aid ambulance stations will also be present in key points around the procession route to ensure visibility so that devotees can easily approach them in case they need medical attention or assistance.

In addition, the PRC Health Service will deploy a basic healthcare unit with provisions for maternal and child care. The healthcare unit contains the following: 100 cot beds, two rub halls tent, 26 inter-agency emergency health kits (IEHK), five gazebo tents (three 3×3 feet and two 6×3 feet), two satellite phones, 10 two-way radios, medical consumables (medical gauzes, syringes, cotton balls, etc.), five wheelchairs, four oxygen tanks, three oxygen concentrator, among others.

The PRC is also coordinating with the following hospitals so that accommodation of injured individuals in the event of accidents is facilitated faster. These include Ospital ng Maynila, San Juan de Dios, Philippine General Hospital, Tondo General Hospital, Jose Abad Santos Mother and Child Hospital, Dr. Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, and Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center.

This year’s Black Nazarene procession will start at approximately 7 a.m. on Jan. 9, following the morning prayer at 5 a.m. at the Quirino Grandstand.

The procession will end when the image of the Black Nazarene arrives back at the Quiapo Church.

Last year’s Traslacion lasted for about 19 hours.

This year’s expected attendees are estimated at 10 to 15 million people, five million more than last year’s estimated 10 million.

“The Feast of the Black Nazarene is a beautiful Filipino tradition that clearly shows the Filipinos’ faith and devotion to our religion and the things that we believe in. This is why we at the Philippine Red Cross never fails to support this tradition by providing medical assistance in our first aid stations and emergency field hospital that will be stationed in key areas around the procession route,” the PRC chairman said.

Based on PRC Operation Center’s (OpCen) final report on last year’s Black Nazarene procession, there were two deaths, compared to the zero-casualty conclusion of 2014’s procession.

There were also 1,727 devotees who were assisted medically for major and minor injuries. (PNA) SCS/LSJ