Tomas agrees to attend traslacion for the first time

CEBU CITY Mayor Tomas Osmeña is expected to lead this year’s delegation that will send off the images of the Sto. Niño and the Our Lady of Guadalupe during their visit to the neighboring city of Mandaue.

Fr. Pacifico Nohara Jr., rector of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, said Osmeña accepted his invitation for the mayor to join the annual traslacion schedules on January 19.

Osmeña said during an interview with reporters that it is going to be his first time to join the traslacion, which is the annual visit of the Holy Child and the Our Lady of Guadalupe to the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City.

Mandaue City officials led by Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing will meet the two images in Barangay Banilad which serves as the boundary of the two neighboring cities.

The motorcade will then proceed to the national shrine for a Mass and overnight vigil.

Nohara visited Osmeña at his City Hall office on Tuesday morning to personally extend his invitation to the mayor.

He also thanked Osmeña for making sure that this year’s fiesta celebration is “centered on faith and not on parties.”

“We thanked the mayor for his continued support to the Sr. Sto Niño fiesta activities. I could see that the mayor has made a lot of good decisions (this year) which include the ban of liquor so the celebration will be centered on strengthening the Cebuanos faith in the Sr. Sto. Niño,” Nohara said in Cebuano.

Nohara arrived at City Hall at around 11 a.m. and spoke with Osmeña and Councilor Dave Tumulak, chairman of the Sinulog 2018 executive committee, for at least 10 minutes inside the closed doors of the mayor’s office.