Why do Catholics in the Philippines flock to Black Nazarene?

First let's go back to history. According to Wikepedia entry on the Black Nazarene: It was carved from a dark wood in the 16 Century in Mexico and then tranported to the Philippines (thru Galleon) in 1606. It depicts Jesus enroute to his crucifixion. Pope Innocent X then granted recognition to the lay Confraternity in Santo Cristo Jesus Nazareno in 1650 for the promotion of the devotion to Jesus through the icon. It was housed in several churches in Manila in early decades, arriving in Quiapo Church in 1787 where it has been enshrined ever since. The Icon is renowned to cure diseases and considered by many Filipinos as miraculous." source: Wikipedia

So the question now lies on why do millions of Filipinos flock in a single day for the procession of the Black Nazarene every January 9?

According to Jaime Laya, the devotional worship of Black Nazarene of Quiapo is idolatry, but he states it may be a continuation of possibly pre-Christian local ritual practices. Elizabeth Pisares also states that this is idolatry, and suggests its link with the social disparities among the Filipino. In contrast, according to the rector Monsignor of Quiapo, Jose Clemente Ignacio, the procession and devotion is not idolatry, rather it is a reflection of "Filipino trait to want to wipe, touch, kiss, or embrace sacred objects if possible", and it is just a belief in "the presence of the Divine in sacred objects and places". According to Mariano Barbato, the debate over the icon is centred on the questions of what constitutes idolatry, when an icon becomes a false god, and what makes the procession ritual idolatrous. source: Wikipedia

Back to the question on do people flock in a single day to just glimpse of the statue which they will never probably touched in the first place? Maybe we can assume that the reason behind this phenomenon are the following.

1. Blessed by the Church. The recognition of the Catholic church to the promotion of devotion to Jesus thru this icon of Black Nazarene. If the higher ups has blessing - people will believe.

2. Miracles. The miracles that the patrons and devotees (supposedly) experienced by just touching the Black Nazarene. To them it's like touching the robe of Jesus (in the Bible) by a woman and Jesus asked who touched Him. 

3. Hope. Every people in the planet has wishes and hopes and "request" and Filipinos are not exempted from those. Most of the Filipinos are either hoping for the best and continue to live their lives on the hopes. This reason alone brings hopes to some of the hopeless that their lives will be better if they just get a glimpse better touch the Nazarene. 

4. Encouraged by the Church. The church encourages this kind of devotion specially in the Philippines because of the people it brings to the processions. This is a living testimony for them to show to the world that the Catholics are major force in the nation - thus even they know that every year people suffer and even die in the procession - they still continue to do so.
     
5. Gratitude. Still for some, this is a show of gratitude for the fruitful years that they had in the past as well as asking for more in the coming year. 


If Filipinos will just think clearly - why put the people at risk of even dying on this kind of tradition? Why not just open up the Black Nazarene 365 days a year in the church so people can go there and pray quietly? is it because people wanted the sense of belonging and be 'part of the crowd behavior' even it's risky?
     
People tend to ignore that every life matters and some things are not worthy of risking your safety to a tradition that does not measure up.

A woman Collapsed during the procession  - courtesy of Rappler.com