The route of the annual Black Nazarene procession or Traslacion on Jan. 9 next year will remain the same, a Quiapo Church official said.

Officials of concerned national government agencies, local government and Quiapo Church held a walk through of the Traslacion route Wednesday.

“The usual problems that we see and we have already resolved are the damaged pavements and sidewalks,” Alex Irasga, technical adviser of the feast, said in a phone interview.

The procession will begin at the Quirino Grandstand, turn right to Katigbak Drive (left side), right to Padre Burgos St. through Finance Road, go straight to Ayala Bridge, left to Palanca St., right to Quezon Boulevard, right to Arlegui Street, right to Fraternal Street, right to Vergara Street, left to Duque de Alba Street, left to Castillejos Street, left to Farnecio Street, right to Arlegui Street, left to Nepomuceno Street, left to Concepcion Aguila Street, right to Carcer Street, right to Hidalgo through Plaza del Carmen, left to Bilibid Viejo through Gonzalo Puyat, left to J.P. de Guzman Street, right to Hidalgo Street, left to Quezon Boulevard, right to Palanca St. through under Quezon Bridge, right to Villalobos through Plaza Miranda and finally to Quiapo Church.

Meanwhile, Irasga is optimistic that bishop-elect Rufino “Jun” Sescon Jr. will be joining the January celebration even as he has been appointed as the new bishop of the Diocese of Balanga.

“He said he will finish the celebration of the feast first. Anyway, in practice, a bishop has a transition period of a maximum of four months. He has enough time to still become part of this effort,” Irasga added.

On Tuesday, Pope Francis appointed Sescon as the new shepherd of the diocese.

He is currently the parish priest of the Minor Basilica. (PNA)