Cebu City Police: Avoid bringing small children to Sinulog activities

Senior Superintendent Royina Garma, director of the Cebu City Police Office. Delta Dyrecka Letigio

CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES – The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) is discouraging pilgrims and participants from bringing small children – especially infants – to 2019 Sinulog activities such as the masses at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño. 

The Sinulog activities will begin on Thursday, January 10 and will end on January 21. 

Senior Superintendent Royina Garma, director of the CCPO said that the children may get lost because of the large number of pilgrims present during the novena masses, which begin on January 10.

“Ang mga babies hindi naman sila nagdadasal sa Basilica, wag nalang natin sila dalhin. (The babies, they are not capable of praying yet at the Basilica. Let’s just not bring them),” she said.

Other Sinulog activities that attract a large crowd include the solemn foot procession on January 19 and the Grand Parade on January 20.

For those parents who wish to bring older children, Garma suggests they should brief the kids about what to do in case  they get lost. 

“Brief your child to look for a police immediately. Our police will bring the child to the Tourist Police,” said Garma. 

Garma said that parents should also attach identification cards to their children with their names and contact numbers so the police can easily reach the parents once a child is found. 

Garma added that should a parent lose a child during the activities, they should immediately go to the Tourist Police Office, where lost children will be brought to. /bjo