Labella okays revocation of Sinulog Governing Board

The Sinulog 2021 will push through this January but it will not be as grand as this year’s Sinulog 2020 because of the pandemic and the possibility that the Main Sinulog activity will be held in March 2021 as part of the Quincentennial celebrations of Christianity in the country. | Gerard Francisco

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said he no longer see the need for the Sinulog Governing Board on 2021 and would heed the request of Vice Mayor Michael Rama to revoke the Sinulog Governing Board (SGB).

Labella said that the SGB was created for the Sinulog 2020 to ensure that the festival would be secured for the visitation of President Rodrigo Duterte, who graced the event for the first time.

The SGB was convened to ensure the collaboration of all government agencies especially the police for the President’s security, although he also said in past statements that the board was created to maintain accountability in the organization of the Sinulog.

However, for Sinulog 2021, which is expected to be simple compared to the preceding years due to the coronavirus pandemic, the mayor finds no more need for the governing board.

“We don’t expect President Duterte to visit so we don’t need the Sinulog Board,” he said.

The city also does not expect a grand Sinulog on January 2021 as the entire Cebu will play host to the 500th year of the Battle of Mactan and the Quincentennial celebration of the arrival of Christianity in March 2021.

Read: Rama to lead Sinulog 2021, wants ‘governing board’ out

This was welcome news for Vice Mayor Michael Rama, who believes that the Sinulog Foundation Incorporated (SFI) can work fine in organizing the festival as it had for many years.

“We thank the mayor for that. I always believed that the Sinulog should only have one goal, one vision,” said Rama.

Rama said they were in initial discussions with the SFI, as they need to fast-track the organization of the Sinulog. Past Sinulogs began organizing around July of each year.

The vice mayor urged the public not to expect a grand Sinulog, which would be the same as before because their goal would be to ensure the health of the public.

Read: Quincentennial committee unveils new design for Lapu shrine, museum

Based on their initial talks, there is a possibility that on January 2021 a pre-Sinulog activity will be organized, but the main Sinulog will be on March 2021 in line with the Quincentennial Anniversary of Christianity in the country.

These are just talks, however, and no concrete plans have been laid out yet.

Still, Rama said they would aim to provide the public the Sinulog celebrations despite the expected restrictions./dbs