An official from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) on Sunday, January 7, urged Black Nazarene devotees to bring identification cards (ID) in case of emergencies during the Traslacion 2024.
Interviewed during DZRH Huntahan, PRC Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang noted that IDs would be helpful in contacting the devotee's relatives once they fainted or went missing amidst the procession.
“Maglagay kayo sa pocket ninyo ng ID ng number ng family member na pwedeng tawagan natin in case of emergency kasi yung iba nawawalan ng malay. We have to find kung sino ang relative nila,” she said.
Gendolyn Pang, Sec. Gen. Phil. Red Cross, sa paghahanda sa Traslacion: Annually, ginagawa namin 'to. Natigil lang noong pandemya dahil hindi nakakalabas ang Poon.#Nazareno2024#Huntahan#SamaSamaTayoPilipino
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) January 7, 2024
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The PRC official cited that there were missing incidents recorded in the past but got resolved immediately.
“Meron tayong incident na ganon. Nahahanap naman natin kaagad ang family members nila. Nagkakawalaan lang talaga because of the big crowd,” Pang said.
She urged the public to not participate in the procession alone.
“Kung pwede, grupo kayo para may tutulong sa inyo. Preparation is important talaga sa pagsama sa ganito kalaking crowd,” the PRC official added.
Any individual who gets lost in the midst of the procession is urged to seek help from the stationed personnel in the PRC welfare desk.
According to Pang, more than 600 volunteers and staff coming from different PRC chapters will be deployed.
She added that 17 ambulances will be dispatched while 21 others will be on standby.
“Hindi pwedeng lahat ay nasa area. In case na kailangang mag-augment, meron tayong 21 na pupunta sa area kung kailangan,” she noted.
Manila City Mayor Honey Lacuna earlier said that they expect that two million devotees will participate in the annual grand procession.
More than 15,000 police will be dispersed to ensure peace and security during the Black Nazarene’s Feast Day on January 9, as per the earlier pronouncement of Philippine National Police spokesperson Jean Fajardo.
