Talisay City assures safe and ‘traffic-free’ Simbang Gabi

Churches in Cebu including the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and those in Talisay City are expected to be full on Monday, December 16, 2019 as it will be the start of the nine-day Simbang Gabi or Dawn Masses./CDN file photo — Junjie Mendoza

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The city government of Talisay assured a safe and “traffic-free” observance of the Misa de Gallo, the Dawn Masses leading to Christmas, which will start on Monday, December 16, 2019.

Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas said the city police, local disaster and traffic management offices of the city had all geared up for the anticipated volume of people in the churches for the nine-day Dawn Masses.

Gullas said two medical teams from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) would be prepositioned to respond to emergencies during the Dawn Masses.

There are six parishes across the city, namely: Our Lady of Consolation Parish-Recoletos in Sitio Laray, Barangay San Roque; the Archdiocesan Shrine of Sta. Teresa de Avila in Barangay Poblacion, Sto. Nino Parish in Barangay Mohon, San Isidro Labrador Parish in Barangay San Isidro, St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Barangay Tabunok and the Don Bosco Formation Center in Barangay Lawaan.

The northbound lane (heading Cebu City) in Barangay Tabunok’s side of N. Bacalso Avenue will be closed from 3:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. to give way to churchgoers who will be attending misa de gallo at the St. Joseph the Worker Parish. Among the six churches in the city, the said church is the only one that sits along a major thoroughfare.

Gullas said city traffic czar Jonathan Tumulak assured that there would be traffic enforcers deployed in the roads leading to the churches, especially in Barangay Tabunok, to guide the churchgoers and the motorists.

“Our local police are also on standby in every parish to ensure that churchgoers are not victimized by criminal elements while attending the Misa de Gallo,” Gullas said in an update on his official Facebook page.

The mayor also  appealed to the public not to bring their cars if they could just walk their way to the churches in order not to add to the vehicular traffic and to minimize the problem on parking near the churches.

The mayor also warned the public to secure their homes when they would attend the Misa de Gallo and to refrain from bringing with them valuables which might attract lawless elements who would be preying on unsuspecting churchgoers.

“Please don’t bring expensive jewelry, gadgets and large amounts of cash when going to church. Even with police officers detailed nearby, they are not an assurance that you won’t be victimized by snatchers. So let us be safe rather than being sorry,” Gullas said./dbs