MANILA - The parochial vicar of Quiapo Church on Thursday discouraged devotees to attend the Feast Day of the Black Nazarene on Saturday as it guards against the spread of COVID-19.

"We still discourage people to come here in Quiapo," Fr. Douglas Badong told ANC's "Matters of Fact".

He urged Filipino Catholics instead to join the festivities at home or in their local parish. Only 30 percent of the seating capacity of the Quiapo Church or 300 people are allowed for the feast day.

"They can participate also by watching Facebook Live because all the masses will be aired on Facebook especially those seniors and young ones that are restricted by IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) rules," Badong said.

"We don't want to risk their health na magspread pa 'yong virus sa kanila (that they may catch the virus) because of insisting that they want to be in the church," he added.

Under the general community quarantine (GQC) rule, older people and those below 21 years old are required to remain in their homes at all times. They are allowed to go out for purposes of obtaining essential goods and services.

Since this year's annual procession of Black Nazarene, popularly known as Traslacion, has been canceled due to the pandemic, Badong said more than a dozen of masses would be held in Quiapo Church for the devotees.

The image of the Black Nazarene is also put on display at the church's balcony.

"Hindi magiging kabawasan sa pagiging deboto 'yong hindi nila magawa, 'yong tradisyon na ginawang pamamanata... for this year 2021, we have a situation and we have to understand that," he said.

(Not being able to show your devotion doesn't make you less of a devotee...)

Traslacion, which annually draws millions of devotees seeking healing for supposed miraculous powers of a blackened image of Jesus Christ, is celebrated at dawn of Jan. 9 each year.

As a cross-bearing statue is wheeled through the streets of Manila, mobs of believers usually muscled their way to the carriage while others waved towels and handkerchiefs.

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