MANILA, Philippines – Participants in the Feast of the Black Nazarene on Thursday, January 9, left a trail of trash. Truckloads of it. 

The Manila city government on Friday, January 10, reported that 68 truckloads – or a total of 330 tons – of garbage were collected along the procession route, from the Quirino Grandstand to the Quiapo Church. 

According to the Manila Public Information Office, the number was relatively lower compared to the 2019 procession, where 99 truckloads or 387.4 tons were collected. 

‘Trash-lacion’

On the day of the feast, the EcoWaste Coalition already lamented the garbage left in Luneta after the image of the Black Nazarene left Quirino Grandstand for Traslacion Thursday morning. (READ: ‘Trash-lacion’: EcoWaste blasts Black Nazarene devotees for littering at Luneta)

According to the group, devotees left their trash despite signages warning against littering at the park.

“The repeated call by various sectors for an environmentally-responsible expression of piety and devotion again fell on deaf ears,” the group said.

The EcoWaste coalition hopes that in the years to come devotees will listen to calls for ecological conversion.

An estimated 3.3 million Catholic devotees joined the 2020 procession, which lasted for 16 hours – the fastest since 2016. (READ: Traslacion 2020 ends in 16 hours) – Rappler.com