Hundreds of thousands of Catholic pilgrims swarmed the streets of Manila in search of a miracle Thursday, straining to reach a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ in an annual display of religious fervor.

The procession to the Philippine capital's Quiapo Church or the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, which started before dawn after an open-air mass, was expected to swell to more than two million participants from across the heavily Catholic country, church officials said.

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Barefoot men and women clad in maroon shirts -- the color of the robe that covers the black, wooden Jesus of Nazareno statue -- scrambled to grab the rope used to draw the life-sized religious icon, believing it would bring good health.

"I prayed that my mother be healed from her heart attack," Dong Lapira, 54, told AFP of a previous procession where he had been bruised and jostled in his attempt to join those pulling the rope.

But he vowed to try again Thursday -- this time to see his wife healed of gallstones.

"The Nazareno is very sacred. It has granted many prayers," he added.

Some faithful frantically threw white towels to worshippers tasked with guarding the float, who wiped the statue's glass case before tossing them back.

One of those cleaning the glass, Alvin Olicia, 38, told AFP: "Even if there is extreme heat or rain during the procession, I don't feel it at all. I like my task, because through catching other's handkerchiefs, I feel like I am connecting them to their faith and to the Nazareno."

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While authorities have banned devotees from climbing on the carriage, some still clambered over other attendees, risking life and limb to be near the religious icon. 

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Ester Espiritu, 76, who travelled 35 kilometers from her home in Cavite province, said just catching a glimpse of the statue would be enough.

"Even If I'm struggling to come here because of my age... I feel happy and well whenever I see the Nazareno," said Espiritu, a devotee of the icon for 40 years, who added she was praying for a lingering shoulder injury.

The life-sized wooden statue was brought to the Philippines in the early 1600s shortly after the start of the Spanish colonial conquest.

Its black color was believed to have been caused by a fire aboard the Spanish galleon in which it was being transported.

Police said about 14,500 security personnel had been deployed along the procession's six-kilometer route as a precaution.

Mobile phone signals were also blocked to prevent the remote detonation of explosive devices, police said.

Emergency response teams were stationed along the route.

The Red Cross said it provided first aid treatment to more than 100 participants in the first few hours of the procession, mainly for cuts, dizziness, nausea and body weakness.

© Agence France-Presse