12M devotees to join feast of the Black Nazarene, say organizers

 News
Jan 012014
 
12M devotees to join feast of the Black Nazarene, say organizers

Catholic devotees gather on Wednesday for a procession of the Black Nazarene in the streets of Quiapo, Manila, on New Year’s Day as a prelude to the January 9 feast. Danny Pata Around 12 million devotees from all over the country are expected to join in the nine-day celebration culminating in the Feast of the Black Nazarene from Wednesday, January 1, to Thursday, January 9, the feast proper. The figure encompasses those who will visit Quiapo Church from January 1 up to January 9. The Black Nazarene is a wooden sculpture of a dark-skinned Jesus Christ, adorned in heavy velvet embroidered with gold thread and carrying the Cross. Originally one of two statues of Christ brought on a galleon from Mexico, it was believed to have been fair-skinned until a fire that broke out in the ship blackened the wood. The other, more popular statue was destroyed in the Liberation of Manila at the close of World War II. The highlight of the pilgrimage is the procession on Thursday, (January 9), called the Traslacion, in which the supposedly miraculous image of the Black Nazarene will be transferred from the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta to Quiapo Church. Barefoot devotees will be walking with the image, as a sign of penance and thanksgiving for favors received. In article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news website, it was stated that Quiapo Church Rector Rev. Msgr. Clemente F. Ignacio met with the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Read More …

Thousands rally on New Year’s Day for Hong Kong democracy

 News
Jan 012014
 
Thousands rally on New Year’s Day for Hong Kong democracy

Thousands of protesters march during a demonstration demanding universal suffrage for the people of Hong Kong on New Year’s Day in Hong Kong Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014. The white banner, right, reads “Real universal suffrage, No filtering.” (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) HONG KONG – Thousands marched in Hong Kong Wednesday to demand a greater say in how their future leaders will be chosen, expressing fears that China will limit long-awaited political reforms. “Democracy will prevail” read some banners as protesters sang and shouted slogans against the government of the semi-autonomous Chinese city, less than one month after the start of an official public consultation on a future electoral system. “Because we are Hong Kong citizens, we must vote,” said Sharon Tang, a 49-year-old trading company employee, adding that residents of the former British colony have the intelligence to choose their leaders. Mainland Chinese tourists took pictures of the march as protesters chanted “End one-party rule!” China, which took back Hong Kong in 1997, has promised that its people will be able to vote in 2017 for their next chief executive. Currently the leader is elected by a 1,200-strong pro-Beijing committee. But many fear that China will control the choice of candidates to secure the election of a sympathetic official. “Hong Kong people have been on the streets over the years to strive for what we deserve, and what the Chinese government has not given us,” Charles Tam, 25, told AFP. One protester had red tape wrapped around her arms and covering Read More …

DOH: 599 injured in New Year revelries

 News
Jan 012014
 
DOH: 599 injured in New Year revelries

For one simple mistake, 15-year-old Christian Tupaz will spend the rest of his life incomplete, specifically without a thumb and an index finger. A report on GMA News TV’s “Balitanghali” on Wednesday said Tupaz’s two fingers had to be amputated after a pla-pla, an illegal firecracker, exploded in his hand during the New Year’s Day revelry. Tupaz was among the 93 patients with firecracker-related injuries brought to Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila, the hospital that accommodated the most number of patients with revelry-related injuries during the New Year celebrations, according to the Department of Health. Aside from firecracker-related injuries, the hospital also attended to cases of vehicular accidents, stabbing, and indiscriminate firing. None of the six victims of stray bullets brought to the hospital died, the “Balitanghali” report said. As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, the DOH has reported 599 cases of fireworks- and firecracker-related injuries during the celebrations. The number was 29 percent higher than the injuries recorded in the same period last year, said DOH assistant secretary Eric Tayag at a press conference. The highest number of firecracker-related injuries was recorded in the National Capital Region, followed by Region I (Ilocos Region). Manila was named as the most dangerous city as it posted the most number of revelry-related injuries. The DOH said children up to 15 years old were the usual victims, most of them by “piccolo,” another illegal firecracker. — Rouchelle Dinglasan/KBK, GMA News

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