Malou Apalisok
This year’s Sinulog will be remembered for the rains that soaked Cebu City and neighboring towns for three straight days from Thursday to Saturday. Despite the rainy weather, devotees and pilgrims still turned out in huge numbers to join the Novena Masses in the Basilica del Santo Nino and the religious procession on the eve of the fiesta celebration.
Mobile phone cameras captured the sea of umbrellas carried by devotees who waded through the procession route, praying for better weather ahead and safe celebration amid terror bomb threats.
The pictures of hundreds of thousands of devotees (reports say 1.5 million joined) almost huddled up together while passing and praying through the procession route were immediately shared in social media, while some found their way to online international newspapers like The Guardian. The images continue to be shared, and if there’s any image that defines this year’s Sinulog, it is our unwavering faith in the Santo Nino through images of the religious procession under rainy weather.
Sinulog 2017 will also be remembered for the disruption of mobile phone services after the Philippine National Police asked telecommunication companies to shut off cell sites on the eve of the grand parade and on the great feast day.
The police must have gathered A-1 intelligence report about a grave terror threat for echelon to ask telecoms to shut down their services temporarily. Since people have become accustomed to the convenience of their gadgets, it was not surprising to hear complaints, but they were mostly juvenile in nature.
On the whole, people were disposed to cooperate not out fear but out of reverence for the religious feast. By the way, big thanks to Smart and PLDT for coming to the rescue of media colleagues through special arrangements that enabled coverage in real time as if nothing happened.
This year’s Sinulog will also be remembered for the many major adjustments that Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña instituted to make for an austere and peaceful celebration.
From scrapping the Ms. Cebu tilt and the Sinulog sa Kabataan to banning street parties and drinking in parade routes, hizzoner has shown a hands-on and iron-fisted style that had won for him a lot of admiration among netizens.
Around 12 midnight last Sunday, Tommy’s Facebook page was still active, indicating he was monitoring the revelry along Aboitiz and Juana Osmeña streets, earlier tagged as hotspot for street parties. With some policemen in tow, Tommy had gone to the area earlier in the evening to disperse the unruly crowd. Apparently, party organizers were
unable to control the partygoers after the mayor left.
With that, the mayor dispatched Councilor Dave Tumulak to the area even as the former threatened to impose heavy sanctions against party organizers. I believe hizzoner will impose a liquor ban next year to further reduce public disturbance.
Mayor Tommy has a strong online presence that keeps him in touch with the public. He uses social media to issue directives, clarify his position, even to twit media organizations who misconstrue his intentions.
I think that his FB posts are even more effective than press conferences, and he used them to full advantage in the run-up to the Sinulog festival.
That enabled him to convey the wisdom of his decisions through the exercise of his duties, that is to say by going out in the field, which shows an understanding of the situation that has plagued the Sinulog celebration in recent years. Public service is empathy, but oftentimes, people cannot equate this with the public official especially if he is somebody like Tommy Osmeña.
Mayor Osmeña is not easy to like. Unlike other politicians, he does not court public approval. In fact, he is straightforward to the point of being insolent. He is not afraid to make hard decisions. People who know the mayor even find him arrogant and quarrelsome.
During his speech to officially declare the formal opening of Sinulog 2017, Tommy exhorted business establishments to open their parking spaces to the public and not make them an extension of their restaurants or pubs by putting in more tables to serve customers. His stern warning was capped by a rationalization of sorts of his Sinulog directives which have, for its core, the essential in our unwavering devotion to the Holy Child: “Is it good for our children?”
I’m not sure if Mayor Tommy was aware he virtually drew out a mission and vision that should be every Cebuano’s guiding principle, regardless of his beliefs and party affiliation:
“Is it good for our children?”
Job well done, Mayor Tommy, and all co-workers in the province, neighboring cities and government agencies. Congratulations as well to various volunteer groups who all worked very hard to make this year’s Sinulog celebration a huge success!
Pit Senyor!
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