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 fervour.

The procession to the Philippine capital’s Quiapo Church, 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.

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

The giant religious parade commemorates the arrival of the wooden statue of the genuflecting Jesus the Nazarene from Acapulco, Mexico in the early 1600s, shortly after the start of the Spanish colonial conquest. Its colour – which has led it to be popularly known as the Black Nazarene – was believed to have been caused by a fire aboard the Spanish galleon that was transporting it.

President Ferdinand Marcos said the annual celebration of the icon was a “testament to our people’s solidarity and camaraderie”.

“It also speaks of the immense power and compassion of God who walks with us and hears our prayers, especially in our time of need,” Marcos said in a statement.

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

Mobile phone signals were also blocked to prevent the remote detonation of explosive devices during the parade which is expected to last up to 18 hours, 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.