GRAND MARIAN PROCESSION TONIGHT
The thousands of Marian devotees who are expected to attend the grand Marian procession on Friday evening are encouraged to bring umbrellas and rain gear as rains in Cebu City are forecast for the night.
They are also advised to bring candles and rosaries because aside from personal prayers, the rosary would be recited during the procession especially since October is also the month of the rosary.
Engineer Oscar Tabada, director of Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa)-Visayas, said Cebu City will experience cloudiness and light to moderate rain on the afternoon, and scattered rain showers at night during the procession.
This is because of the tropical depression Odette, which would hit landfall in Cagayan province on Thursday evening. The tropical depression is set to exit the country on Saturday.
Although Odette would not affect Cebu directly because Cagayan is almost 900 km from Cebu, it would, however, strengthen the southwest monsoon or habagat.
Al Quiblat of Pagasa- Mactan said that the habagat would bring light to moderate rains and thunderstorms in Cebu on Friday and Saturday.
Aside from the rains, motorists are also encouraged to take note of the temporary change of routes as the Cebu City Transportation Office will implement a traffic rerouting scheme starting at 8 p.m.
The CCTO would then close the streets along the procession route (See separate story).
Fe Barino, Commission on the Laity of the Cebu Archdiocese head, said that they would be expecting 30,000 devotees to attend the grand Marian procession.
Barino said that the religious activity would start at 8 p.m. with a procession from the Capitol traversing along Osmeña Boulevard to the Basilica del Sto. Nino Pilgrim Center where a Mass would be celebrated by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma.
The grand Marian procession is the culmination of the “Jubilee Year of Fatima” in celebration of the 100th year anniversary of the apparitions of Blessed Virgin Mary to the shepherd’s children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta that happened in Portugal on May 13 to October 13, 1917.
Msgr. Ruben Labajo, the Archdiocesan spiritual consultant, said Palma would want Cebuano Catholic lay people and devotees of the Blessed Virgin Mary to experience the candlelight procession, that were usually done in Portugal.