ABOUT 300,000 participants are expected to join this year’s grand procession for the feast of the Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila, a security committee member told The Flame.
“Following the trend from the previous years, we are expecting to have more than 300,000 attendees, as, aside from the all-out support of the Dominican family in the Philippines, local government units and citizens of Quezon City, now different [parishes] from Luzon have also signed their attendance in support of this festivity,” Br. Joenner Enriquez said.
Last year, at least 400,000 people attended the La Naval feast, almost twice the 225,000 attendees in 2024.
According to Enriquez, the number of vehicles along the route of this year’s procession will also be reduced to accommodate this year’s expected scale of attendees.
Themed “Mary: Queen and Mother of Peace,” he said the feast aims to show solidarity for the oppressed, similar to how the Our Lady of La Naval helped Spanish-Filipino soldiers in 1646 win the five naval battles against fully armed Dutch fleets.
“As some parts of the world continue to face war and injustice, this is to remind everyone that we have a mother who will stand on our side to give us comfort, and the Queen, ever leading us to her son, Jesus Christ, the gentle judge, to give us peace and protection,” Enriquez added.
The grand procession honoring the Marian image of La Naval de Manila will be held at 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Besamanto or the traditional kissing of the image’s cloak will continue every Saturday of October, starting after the novena mass on Oct. 3 and 10 and after the 6 p.m. mass on Oct. 17, 24 and 31.
Held annually on the second Sunday of October, the celebration honors Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary La Naval de Manila, whose intercession is credited for the victory of Filipino and Spanish forces over the militarily superior Dutch invaders in the 17th century.
Before the second world war, the religious tradition was observed in Intramuros, the original site of the Santo Domingo Church. It is known as one of the oldest and largest Marian processions in the Philippines. F — With reports from Abigail Peralta
