EOC recommends pre-filmed performances for Sinulog grand parade

Instead of live street dancing during the Sinulog 2021 Grand Parade which it considers risky, the Cebu City Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is instead recommending pre-filmed performances for Cebu’s premier festival. | CDN file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is recommending a pre-filmed performance for the Sinulog grand parade instead of a live street dancing.

Councilor Joel Garganera, the deputy chief implementor of the EOC, said that this was being done in the Dinagyang festival, allowing the contingents to pre-film their performances instead of crowding an area to perform.

In the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City, the contingents were placed under a bubble environment for ten days to prevent transmission of the coronavirus and they were able to film a 360 degrees performance of their choreography.

The councilor said that even though Cebu City has lesser time to prepare, with only 11 days until the Sinulog grand parade, the pre-filming can be done, and would still be safer compared to gathering all contingents at the South Road Properties (SRP).

“They did it in Dinagyang, why can’t we? We always have to take the side of caution. A live grand parade would be risky,” said Garganera.

The slight rise of cases in the city after the holidays, with the active cases rising to 213, has prompted the EOC to suggest a less crowded way of celebrating Sinulog especially since the recent cases were results of the complacency during the holiday season.

The councilor said the city is not yet ready to risk the lives of its residents for a cultural event such as Sinulog emphasizing that the essence of Sinulog is to worship the Holy Child Jesus, which can be done through religious activities at the Basilica.

“We don’t have to hold a grand parade to show our devotion. The Sinulog is a dance that we all feel with our beating hearts,” he said.

With this, the EOC has recommended such changes to the Regional Interagency Task Force in Central  Visayas (RIATF-7), which will, in turn, make a recommendation to the national IATF.

The Department of Interior and Local Government in Central Visayas (DILG-7) has released a statement that such big activities must be with the approval of the IATF.

Garganera hopes the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) will reconsider the live parade and opt for a much less grand virtual one.

Meanwhile, Councilor Philip Zafra, the chairperson of the committee on peace and order of the City Council, suggested that the parade, if done virtually and pre-filmed, should be conducted at the Cebu City Sports Center instead so that it would be easier to control the crowd.

Zafra said that the huge space at the SRP will only draw the interests of residents nearby, especially since the nearby residential area is densely populated.

He urged the SFI to reconsider the venue as well so that the police will not have a hard time securing the event. /rcg