Devotees raise their hands while praying at the Basilica for the Ist Friday mass a week ahead of the Feast of the Black Nazarene on January 9,2015 on Quezon Boulevard, Manila. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – Keep this year’s Feast of the Black Nazarene free of garbage and pollution.
This was the appeal by the EcoWaste Coalition days before the devotees flock anew to Luneta and Quiapo for the yearly Traslacion.
“Piety is not an excuse to litter. In fact, littering goes against the proverb ‘cleanliness is next to Godliness’ that most, if not all, Filipinos are aware of,” said group coordinator Aileen Lucero.
“We invite all devout followers of the Black Nazarene to reflect on a key message uttered by Pope Francis and strive for an ecological devotion,” she added.
She lamented the yearly feast is given a bad reputation because of the “brazen disrespect for the environment” as shown by trash on the streets, especially in Quiapo.
The group wrote to Quiapo Church rector Msgr. Jose Clemente Ignacio to help publicize practical ways to prevent and reduce waste during the Traslacion.
EcoWaste cited data from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority showing 28 truckloads or about 336 tons of garbage were collected in the 2014 Traslacion. (MNS)