Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City government has prepared buses for devotees attending the Fiesta Señor 2021 novena masses at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño from January 8 to 16, 2021.
The buses will ferry devotees to and from the Basilica during the duration of the novena masses.
Councilor David Tumulak, the chairperson of the City Council’s committee on disaster risk and reduction, said that the city government will be releasing soon the maps for the bus stations around the city.
“Naa ray designated nga bus stops para sa atong devotees. Ig human nilang attend sa mass, gawas sila dayon unya diretso sila aning mga bus stops aron muuli,” said Tumulak.
(There will be designated bus stops for the devotees. After attending the mass, they will have to go out of the Basilica and be brought to these bus stops to return to their respective homes.)
The bus stops will be necessary since jeepneys and buses will be rerouted starting January 8, 2021, to pedestrianize the vicinity of the Basilica for the expected crowd.
To control the crowd, Tumulak said the city government and police have set-up designated entrances and exits to ensure a one-way flow of human traffic.
Washing areas around the vicinity of the Basilica are set up as well to help the people disinfect while attending the mass.
A public information booth would constantly remind the devotees where to find the nearest exits, washing areas, and other facilities.
As for devotees who will find it difficult time to park their cars, a mall at the South Road Properties (SRP) has agreed to allow devotees to park there for free.
Buses will then ferry the devotees from the SRP to the Basilica and back again after every mass so they can get back to their cars.
Tumulak encouraged those who are willing to risk the crowd at the Basilica to maintain social distancing, wear their face masks and face shields, and bring their quarantine passes.
He urged them to be vigilant as well to avoid the transmission of the virus.
/bmjo