Police to file case against Basak San Nicolas fiesta dance organizer

CCPO chief: Organizer violated ECQ guideline rule on mass gathering

The police and the CIDG has stepped in the investigation on the fiesta celebration held in Sitio Alumnos, Barangay Basak San Nicolas last June 27. | Photos courtesy of Barangay Basak San Nicolas

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Organizers of a dance festival that gathered a crowd in Barangay San Nicolas, Cebu City on Saturday evening (June 27) will be facing a case for violation of mass gathering under the protocol in the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) guidelines.

Police Colonel Cydric Earl Tamayo, acting Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) chief, told reporters that together with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7), that they had identified the organizer of the activity and would file the case against him.

Tamayo said that with the help of the San Nicolas barangay officials they identified the organizer as Nicolas Tabar.

He said that Tabar only asked permission for the image of the patron saint to be brought around the area, and that Tabar failed to mention that after that there would be a dance in front of the barangay chapel.

The dance involved more than 10 individuals, who caught the attention of residents in the area and gathered a crowd there.

“Nagdaghan ang mga tawo and nag sayaw-sayaw. So ang mahitabo is we will be filing a case for violation of mass gathering sa organizer nga si Mr. Tabar,” said Tamayo.

(A crowd gathered and danced. So what will happen is that we will be filing a case for violation of mass gathering to the organizer, Mr. Tabar.)

Read more: Probe sought on fiesta celebration in Alumnos

Tamayo said the CIDG was also investigating Barangay Captain Norman Navarro, if he had any liabilities with the incident as he was the one who gave permission to Tabar.

Tamayo said that if they would be able to identify the dancers or the other participants who came outside during the time of the incident, charges might also be filed against them.

On the other hand, Navarro in a phone interview with the reporters said that he never knew that there was a dance festival because what was asked by the organizer was for the image of the saint to be brought around the block of the area near the chapel.

“Wa man gyud mi kalibutan ato. Ang ako rang nahibaw-an ilang imobile ilang santos kay nagsaulog sila sa ilang fiesta ipatuyok nila sa usa ka bloc,” said Navarro.

(We did not know anything about the dance. What we knew is that they will bring the saint aound the block because it was their way to celebrate the fiesta.)

Navarro said that what he expected was only the procession as the organizer even said it would not take long for the procession to end.

With the incident, Navarro said he was ready to be called to explain the incident to the heads of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).

Meanwhile, the Special Action Force (SAF) team has started to patrol the area in Barangay Basak San Nicolas this afternoon (June 28) together with policemen from the Mambaling Police Station./dbs