Nazarene feast leaves trail of trash, says environmental watchdog

MANILA, Philippines — The annual Feast of the Black Nazarene on Thursday, January 9, left piles of trash scattered around the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, where thousands of Catholic devotees gathered to venerate the centuries-old wooden statue of Jesus.

Environmental watchdog EcoWaste Coalition said in a statement that they are moved by the people’s “unmatched devotion” as they flooded the 5.8-kilometer processional route, but are “deeply saddened by the unsightly trail of trash” that followed.

EcoWaste zero waste campaigner Ochie Tolentino raised concerns over the mounting garbage that has exhausted waste workers and volunteers at the religious gathering.

She highlighted the inconsistent enforcement of event restrictions, pointing out that while authorities strictly implement gun and liquor bans, they have been lenient on littering violations despite their environmental impact.

“While the authorities imposed a strict ban on guns and liquor to ensure peace and order, we could not help but wonder why the ban on littering — an environmental offense explicitly prohibited in national and local laws — was evidently not enforced during the conduct of the traslacion,” she said.

As the country observes Zero Waste Month and celebrates 25 years of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, Tolentino criticized the apparent disregard for proper waste disposal during the Feast of the Black Nazarene.

EcoWaste said the participants at Rizal Park appeared indifferent to the litter strewn across the grounds, seemingly unconcerned about the unsightly conditions, leaving the cleanup to others.

The cleanup crew comprised government employees from the Manila Department of Public Services, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and the National Parks Development Committee. 

Volunteers from the group and Philippine Ecology Systems Corp. also participated in the cleanup drive.

“Informal waste workers also lent a hand, retrieving recyclables left by the faithful on the fields, pavements, plant boxes and the overflowing trash bins,” the statement read.

The collected trash included discarded sleeping materials, food waste, urine-filled bottles, soiled diapers, disposable