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New York watches Puerto Rican Day parade

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NEW YORK, June 13 (UPI) -- Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez were among the nearly 2 million people at New York's 53rd annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade, officials say.

The city's largest parade Sunday saw Anthony replace actor Osvaldo Rios as "international godfather" after Rios' domestic violence conviction against his girlfriend, the New York Daily News reported.

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Some elected officials allegedly said they would not attend the parade unless Rios quit, which he did Tuesday.

New city statutes limit parades to five hours and shorten their routes by 25 percent in a move to save $3.1 million in police overtime and other city expenses, the newspaper said.

One reveler wasn't put off by the shortening of the parade, the Daily News said.

"A parade is a parade. It doesn't really matter to us how long it is," said Angelica Baez, 19, of the Bronx, who grabbed a prime sidewalk spot at 7 a.m. "I always want to be the first person here."

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