240,000 devotees join 2026 Penitential Walk with Jesus

An estimated 240,000 devotees participated in the Penitential Walk with Jesus held in the early hours of Thursday, January 8, 2026, according to the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).

Lieutenant Colonel Jose Losbaños, CCPO information officer, said the estimate was based on data provided by the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO).

He noted that this year’s turnout was significantly higher compared to previous years.

The figure covers only those who joined the foot procession and does not include devotees who later gathered inside the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño for the Opening Salvo Mass.

In a January 9, 2025 report by SunStar Cebu, the CCPO recorded an estimated 160,000 participants in the same religious procession, indicating a substantial increase in attendance this year.

Losbaños said the event was generally peaceful and orderly, with no major untoward incidents reported throughout the procession.

“Our crowd was very manageable, and the crowd estimate is more or less 240,000 based on data from CCDRRMO,” he said.

He attributed the increase in the number of devotees to heightened religious devotion and expressions of gratitude among the Catholic faithful, particularly following recent calamities that affected Cebu.

“Yes, more attended this year, likely because we went through disasters, so people are thankful for surviving past calamities,” Losbaños added.

The police official, however, acknowledged a slight delay in the procession when the carriage reached the area in front of Abellana National High School.

The delay was caused by crowd congestion near the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station along the route.

Losbaños said the situation was immediately addressed by police and event marshals through adjustments to the rope barriers surrounding the carriage.

This prevented devotees from being caught in tight spaces or crushed as the procession moved forward.

One woman, believed to be intoxicated, was taken into police custody at the Abellana Police Station after complaints that she was being unruly and harassing other participants. Authorities said she is currently under investigation.

Security preparations for the event began hours before the procession started. Losbaños said nearly 500 police officers were deployed two hours ahead of the Penitential Walk with Jesus.

This number did not include force multipliers from other government agencies.

Additional personnel came from the Cebu City Transportation Office, the CDRRMO, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and the military under the Visayas Command, all of whom assisted in traffic management, emergency response, and overall crowd control.

Following the successful Opening Salvo of the Fiesta Señor, CCPO officials are set to conduct a post-event assessment to review security measures and identify areas for improvement, particularly as several major religious and cultural activities are still scheduled in the coming days.

Losbaños said thousands of police officers will continue to be deployed across key areas of the city to ensure public safety and maintain order throughout the remaining activities of the Fiesta Señor celebration.