Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña/ CDN File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Follow rules and regulations so that everyone will be able to enjoy the Sinulog Festival.
This was the message on Sunday by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña to ensure a peaceful holding of the Sinulog, one of the country’s biggest festivals that have been drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to Cebu City every third week of January.
In a speech he delivered after the 13 contingents from various barangays in the city competed for the ritual showdown Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan 2019, Osmeña asked the public to cooperate in making Sinulog safe.
“Mo hangyo ra ko ug pasaylo kay there’s going to be so many people. Some complained of being inconvenienced due to the policies implemented by the police but rest assured everyone’s safety is our priority; and a peaceful Sinulog,” Osmeña added.
Earlier, the Cebu City Police Office has announced that it would be strictly implementing the “no backpack” rule for those attending Masses at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, a revered patron who is at the center of Fiesta Senyor, or the Feast of the Sto. Niño, which is popularly known as the Sinulog Festival.
Police have also announced that cellular phone signals will be shut off during the hours that major Sinulog-related events are being held on January 19 and 20, as part of the measures to secure the throngs of people attending these events.
Since January 10, policemen from the Cebu City Police Office have been deployed in and around Cebu City to secure the multitude of people attending public events related to the festival, including the Sinulog sa Dakbayan competition held this afternoon.
The Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan is a dance competition among the different barangays in Cebu City, which is held annually as an awaited preliminary event during the 10-day Sinulog Festival.
It provides a preview on what to expect during the mardi gras-like grand parade on Sunday, January 20, the culminating event of the festival. /elb