Cebu City officials led by Mayor Edgardo Labella meet with Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma on Saturday, October 24, to discuss activities and preparations for the quincentenary celebration of Christianity in the Philippines. | Photos courtesy of Cebu City PIO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Only a few people will be allowed to physically attend events in line with one of the country’s most awaited celebrations this 2021.
This as the Archdiocese of Cebu and the Cebu City government agreed to set up crowd control and limits for the quincentenary celebration of Christianity here.
Mayor Edgardo Labella together with Councilors Joel Garganera and Dave Tumulak met with Archbishop Jose Palma on Saturday, October 24, to discuss initial preparations for the 500th anniversary of Christianity this April 2021, a nationwide celebration that would run for a whole year.
Garganera, the deputy chief implementer of the city’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), said a group composed of members from the church and the city government was created for the purpose of overseeing the entire preparations.
“Security and safety are among the issues that are to be addressed especially in this time of the pandemic,” said Garganera.
In a separate interview, Tumulak said among the plans both parties agreed on was to limit the number of people who would like to attend the activities.
“The limits are intended to ensure that social distancing will be maintained,” said Tumulak in Cebuano.
Tumulak also said the Archdiocese called for a meeting on Saturday, asking for the city’s assistance in ensuring a safe and orderly quincentenary celebration.
“And the mayor assured the church that the city government will support them all the way,” he added.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), in an earlier advisory, announced they had prolonged the celebration of the 500 years of Christianity due to the effects of the pandemic.
In Cebu, the celebration for the 500th anniversary of Christianity will officially open this April 18, 2021, which is an Easter Sunday.
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The Archdiocese of Cebu is expected to spearhead the reenactment of the First Baptism that is slated on April 14, 2021, and to be conducted in front of Magellan’s Cross in downtown Cebu City.
Prior to this, a week-long combination of cultural and liturgical activities, including exhibits and cultural shows, are also being planned. /dbs
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