Motorcade instead of Nuestra Señora de Regla’s grand procession in Lapu-Lapu

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — The grand procession for the Nuestra Señora de Regla in Lapu-Lapu City on November 20 will be canceled, and this will be replaced by a grand motorcade instead.

Lapu-Lapu City Tourism Historical and Cultural Affairs chairperson Cindi Chan, however, said in an interview over DyHP that they would replace the grand procession with a grand motorcade.

The Lapu-Lapu City government and the church decided on this to prevent the further spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). 

Replaced by motorcade

The other events that were canceled earlier and replaced by a motorcade were the fluvial procession on November 12 and the Walk with Mary on Saturday, last November 7.

Read: Birhen sa Regla fluvial procession canceled

On November 7, the motorcade for the Walk with Mary was held with 10 vehicles doing the motorcade.

“Mo-allow lang ta og 10 ka maximum nga vehicle during sa motorcade. Upat ang sa church ug unom sa city ug sa DRRMO (Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office). We will just encourage ang mga Oponganon to wait ni Mama Mary along sa motorcade route,”  Chan said.

(We will just allow a maximum of 10 vehicles during the motorcade. For vehicles will be from the church while the six others will be from the DRRMO [Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office). We will just encourage the Oponganons to wait for Mama Mary along the motorcade route.)

She also urged devotees to prepare an altar along the route and blue and white flaglets, which they could wave when the motorcade would pass through them.

November 20 motorcade route

The route for the motorcade on November 20 that will replace the grand procession will be from the  Virgen of the Rule shrine in Barangay Poblacion to Barangays Looc and Babag then to Cordova town, then to Barangays Suba-Basbas, Marigondon, Maribago, Mactan, Ibo, Buaya, Pusok, Pajo, and back to the Virgen of the Rule Shrine  in Barangay Poblacion.

Chan said that devotees from other parts of Cebu would also be welcomed to visit the church to venerate the image of the Virgen Dela Regla, but they would also be required to bring their quarantine passes with them.

“But kadtong gikan outside sa Cebu, dili lang seguro nato sa tugotan nga makaduaw diri paglikay lang sab sa spread sa coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),” she added.

(But devotees outside Cebu, we will not allow them to visit to prevent or avoid the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19].)

Nightly activities canceled

Meanwhile, Chan also said that the nightly activities leading to the feast day would also be canceled, while vendors would be allowed to sell their products but they would be regulated.

“We are still looking for a place where we can place them (the vendors), especially nga ang Rizal Park kay gi-renovate pa,” she said.

(We would still look for a place where we could place them [the vendors], espcially that the Rizal Park is still being renovated.)

She said that even if the city had already flattened the curve of the virus, they could not be complacent yet, and the health and safety protocols should always be observed to ensure everyone’s safety.

Church measures

Fr. Bernard Corpuz, parish priest of the Nuestra Señora De Regla – National Shrine, also said that they would be implementing a 50 percent capacity inside the church during the novena Masses that would start on November 12.

Corpuz said that they would also install an LED at the auditorium, to accommodate those who could no longer enter the church.

“Hangyo lang nato nila nga mosimba lang ug sayo para dili maabtan sa daghang deboto,” Corpuz said, adding that their Masses will start as early as 5 a.m., with two hours interval for disinfection activities.

Every day, the church will hold eight Masses during the start of Novena./dbs