Photojournalist dies while covering Nazarene feast
A photojournalist collapsed and died early Friday morning while covering the Feast of Jesus Nazareno in Manila.
The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) identified the photojournalist as Itoh Son, 55, of the tabloid Saksi.
It was a tragic note occurring early in the annual religious gathering centered on the statue of a crimson-robed, cross-bearing Christ, a 17th century image venerated by millions of Filipino Catholics.
Son collapsed shortly upon arriving around 2 a.m. at the Manila Police District’s (MPD) Station 5 near Quirino Grandstand, venue of the midnight High Mass that kicked off the feast and starting point of the massive procession also known as “traslacion.”
He came from another assignment, according to MPD spokesperson Maj. Philipp Ines. Upon reaching the station’s entrance, “perhaps due to extreme exhaustion, he collapsed. He was then rushed to the hospital,” Ines said.
Son was brought by a team from the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The MPD, where the photojournalist was a member of the press corps, was still awaiting the hospital report on the cause of death as of this writing.
Injuries top 700
The PTFoMS expressed its condolences to the family and colleagues of Son, citing his dedication to the media profession.
Friday’s massive procession again left hundreds injured, dizzy or unconscious amid the crush of bodies jostling to make contact with the revered image, or at least its carriage or the rope used to pull it.
For the second year in a row, as a safety measure, the Nazarene image was encased in tempered glass for the procession.
As of 5 p.m., at least 724 devotees had received medical attention for injuries or health problems, according to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
Of the total, 385 devotees were brought to PRC stations for their vital signs to be checked; 315 had minor cases of dizziness, cuts, abrasions, and sprains; 10 were treated for more serious wounds, headaches, and breathing difficulties; and 14 either fell unconscious, sustained fractures or felt chest pains and had to be brought to nearby hospitals.
‘Psychosocial’ aid
The PRC said 61 devotees were given “psychosocial first aid” while 1,975 were given food packs.
The humanitarian group mobilized 1,262 staff members and volunteers for the traslacion.
The “andas,” or carriage bearing the Nazareno image, left Quirino Grandstand at 3:58 a.m. for a procession back to Quiapo Church.
Still ongoing at press time, the traslacion—considered the single biggest Catholic feast in the country—follows a 5.8-kilometer route, drawing mostly male, barefoot participants risking life and limb for their devotion.
In recent decades, due to the sheer number of devotees, it is not unusual for the procession to take more than 24 hours to finish.
The rite reenacts the 1787 transfer of the Jesus Nazareno image from its original shrine in Bagumbayan (now Rizal Park) to Quiapo Church.
