THOUSANDS of devotees joined the annual Black Nazarene procession here Friday, turning the religious event into a platform for expressing outrage over a corruption scandal involving public officials.
Father Der John Faborada, social communications director of the Cagayan de Oro Archdiocese, said many parishioners sought accountability regarding the multibillion-peso flood control controversy.
"Many of our parishioners are outraged over this corruption issue and many have expressed they would seek justice through divine intervention," Faborada said.
The Traslacion drew a crowd of 23,000, nearly double the 13,000 attendees in 2025, who walked 2.5 kilometers from the Cagayan de Oro Metropolitan Cathedral to the Nazareno Parish Church in Barangay Lapasan.
City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) Chief Nick Jabagat reported the turnout.
While numbers are rebounding, they haven't reached the pre-pandemic peak of 150,000 devotees.
For the attendees, the march was not just tradition, but a collective prayer for integrity in public service.
