Parents are advised to take care of their children especially when they join the Sinulog festivities. Above is a photo of the 2018 solemn foot procession, which is one of the activities of the Sinulog festivities. (CDN file photo)
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Central Visayas field office of the Department of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-7) has formed a skeletal force that will monitor the Sinulog activities from the Solemn Foot Procession on Saturday until the grand parade on Sunday.
In a statement sent to CDN Digital, Sheba Dabon, DSWD Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Section (DRRS) focal officer, said their division would be coordinating with the Cebu City government and the police force deployed in the Sinulog areas to respond to emergencies that might emerge.
Their field office located in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City, which is the starting point of the grand parade, will also house those children who may get separated from their guardians during the Sinulog events.
“We encourage those who will participate in the solemn procession and the Sinulog Grand Parade to be vigilant all the time and to be attentive to their children that they will be bringing along with them. I encourage the parents or guardians to let their children wear identification cards with contact information for easy identification in case of emergency. They may also write in a piece of paper their contact information and put it inside the pockets of their children’s clothes,” Dabon said.
Senior Superintendent Royina Garma, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) director, earlier said children who would get lost during the Sinulog events would be brought to the tourist police outpost near the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño.
If the parents of the children will not be located immediately, they will be turned over to the DSWD-7 office for temporary shelter, said DSWD-7 Information Officer Kerwin Macopia in a separate interview.
“Magbinantayon sad ang mga parents aron dili gyud mawala ang mga bata. Kay kung lisud gyud, dili nalang gyud mu-risk adto sa mga crowded places,” Macopia said./dbs