As Sinulog 2021 goes online, SFI seeks other forms of sponsorships

Pundok Maampuong Cambinocot from Barangay Cambinocot performs during the Sinulog Grand Parade 2020. | CDN file

CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Sinulog Foundation Incorporated (SFI) will be having a tougher time earning from the Sinulog Festival next year as everything shifts to going virtual.

The SFI usually funds its operation through sponsors and tickets sold in different activities. However, there will be no tickets sold in any of the activities next year since the grand showdown, the Sinulog Idol, and other crowd gathering events will be streamed for free online.

Read: VM Rama: Sinulog 2021 ‘unconventional, innovative’

This poses a challenge for the SFI.

“Wala gyod tay tickets this year, so atong marketing team is looking for ways to find funds,” said Elmer “Jojo” Labella, the executive director of the SFI and younger brother to Mayor Edgardo Labella.

(There are no tickets to be sold this year so our marketing team is looking for ways to find funds.)

The SFI said it may be using the online medium to gather sponsors that can help fund the festival. The marketing will be done online since no parades can be done for next year due to health protocols.

Instead of spaces on the parade route, banderitas, advertising billboards, and posters, which the SFI used to offer their sponsors, these advertisements may be done online.

The SFI is also looking for a major network that will partner with SFI as a medium for broadcast to where marketing efforts can be redirected.

Labella assured that all media entities authorized by the city government through application will be able to cover the event as a partner.

The executive director said the SFI had to be creative as this is a first in history that raising funds for the festival will be through online marketing instead of the usual crowd gathering events.

“We are working hard to market the funds, sponsorships. We don’t really have the liberty to go all out for the crowd marketing because there will be no audience,” said Labella.

Meanwhile, the Cebu City government is already at 90 percent preparation for the Sinulog 2021 next month.

Vice Mayor Michael Rama said that with the extention of the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) until , the city can finalize its preparations for the month-long celebration on January 2021.

Rama leads the preparations for the Sinulog Festival both as a member of the SFI and the appointed organizer of Mayor Edgardo Labella.

The vice mayor said that aside from laying out the official activities for the Sinulog 2021, the SFI and the city government are also finalizing the logistics of the virtual and no-audience showdown at the South Road Properties (SRP).

“Everything is already in place. The SFI, city government has signed everything for the activities. Our goal is to make people feel that there is that atmosphere of Sinulog even if they are not there,” said Rama.

The city government’s priority is to ensure that the health protocols will be set in place for the festival especially during the grand showdown at the SRP where only a few people including the participants can witness the festival live.

/bmjo