Gullas: Basketball courts will be used for Misa de Gallo
Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas. | file
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Misa de Gallo in Talisay City will not only be held in churches but may also be held in basketball courts and other open spaces.
This was the statement of Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas for the conduct of Misa de Gallo or dawn masses in his city starting December 16, 2020.
Gullas met with the parish priests and security agencies on December 4, 2020, to discuss the upcoming Misa de Gallo and how this potentially crowd gathering religious activity can push through with the strict implementation of health protocols.
They have decided that the best course of action to avoid crowding the churches is to provide open venues for the Misa de Gallo in basketball complexes.
“From now until December 11 our PNP (Philippine National Police), CT-TODA (City of Talisay-Traffic Operations and Development Authority), Health and Disaster team will visit each church on what we plan to do in every individual venue,” said Gullas.
The mayor is determined to push through with the Misa de Gallo as it is an important Christmas tradition for Filipinos and can likely boost the morale and hopes of the residents.
Still, he wants to ensure the safety of the parishioners who will be attending the nine-day masses every dawn amid the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
This in spite that the city has only one active COVID-19 case left and the number of new cases has remained zero for over a week now.
“Misa de Gallo is a tradition that must be continued. We can continue it even during this difficult time if we all follow the protocols that our churches will implement in coordination with the city government,” Gullas said.
“One thing is clear. We cannot do this alone. The city government cannot do it alone. The churches cannot do it alone. Our citizens cannot do it alone. But if we work together to follow protocols we can continue our tradition of Misa de Gallo,” said the mayor.
Gullas said the schedule for the Misa de Gallo to be conducted outside churches, particularly at basketball complexes will be posted by December 11, 2020. /rcg
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
