Sawt Falasteen - Christ icon's procession draws thousands to streets of Philippine capital

The day-long procession began before dawn, with barefoot volunteers pulling the heavy carriage through narrow streets where the devout waited in hopes of touching the icon, believed to hold miraculous powers.

Thousands of police have been deployed to manage crowds that officials believe could number in the millions by the time it reaches its home in central Manila's Quiapo church around midnight.

This year's festival of Jesus the Nazarene comes on the heels of deadly typhoons, earthquakes and a high-level corruption scandal that has rocked the archipelago nation of 116 million people.

"For this year, my wish is for the (political) system in the Philippines to change and for the corrupt people to disappear from the face of the earth," Manila resident Jose Borbon, a 23-year-old who drives a horse carriage for tourists, told AFP.

"Nothing is impossible if you pray to him," he said.

Scores of politicians and officials have been implicated in a scandal over "ghost" flood-control projects that purportedly cost taxpayers billions of dollars but were either never built or shoddily constructed.

In a homily before Friday's procession started, Bishop Rufino Sescon called on those involved to stand down.

"In our country today, some people refuse to step down despite having done bad things or become deadweights, or made the poor suffer, even though the country is drowning in floods," Sescon said.

"Shame on you. Please step down for the people's sake."

The annual religious parade commemorates the arrival of the wooden statue of Christ from Mexico in the early 1600s.

Many believe the statue got its dark colour when it survived a fire aboard the Spanish ship that carried it to the Philippines, leading to it being known colloquially as the "Black Nazarene".

Fishmonger Josefina Ancheta, 66, brought her grown children and grandchildren to Manila from nearby Cavite province to witness the procession and seek God's blessings.

"We wish to remain healthy," she told AFP.

"I wish... for them to be spared from danger and accidents, and for them to grow up into upstanding men and women who have God in their hearts."

Gerry Asuncion, 62, a traffic officer in a Manila suburb, took two days off along with many of his co-workers to be at the parade, which already had an estimated crowd of 139,000 by early morning.

"We were poor once, but I have achieved all my dreams -- a car, a good family, a house... My children are healthy and we never want for anything. Each Friday, I go to Quiapo church to pray, and give thanks," he told AFP.

J.AbuShaban--SF-PST