Manila - Hundreds of thousands of barefoot devotees joined an annual procession in the Philippine capital on Friday to honour a centuries-old statue of a suffering Jesus Christ.

Security was tight at Quiapo district in downtown Manila, with hundreds of police officers deployed since Thursday night when devotees of the Black Nazarene began to gather for a vigil.

Traffic had been re-routed away from the Quiapo Church, but surrounding streets were still jammed due to the huge crowd.

Last year, two people were killed during the procession, when devotees jostle each other for a chance to touch the Black Nazarene.

The life-size wooden statue of a dark-skinned Jesus Christ was said to have been brought to the country by a Spanish priest from Mexico in 1606.

Hundreds of people go to Quiapo Church every Friday to seek its intercession to ease their sufferings or to make their dreams come true.

The Feast of the Black Nazarene is one of the most celebrated religious event in the predominantly Catholic Philippines, with more than 80 per cent of the population adhering to the religion. (dpa)