CEBU CITY, Philippines – The first day of the 456th Fiesta Señor celebration here was generally peaceful and orderly, the city police announced.
And they said, among the factors that contributed to this was sustaining the implementation of quarantine passes (QPasses).
“Inside and within the vicinity of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu, the situation was smooth,” Police Colonel Josefino Ligan, director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said in an interview with Cebu-based radio station dyHP.
An estimated 3,000 churchgoers on Friday, January 8, attended the opening salvo of the first day of Fiesta Señor, a week-long religious celebration in honor of Snr. Sto. Niño.
Ligan said proper planning of preparations such as placing distancing markers to guide attendees helped the police in enforcing rules within and around the Basilica.
He also said that requiring guests to present their QPasses helped in controlling the crowd.
“We are grateful nothing untoward happened, and everything went smoothly as planned. It’s like Snr. Sto. Niño Himself answered our prayers. We are also hoping this would be sustained in the coming days,” he added.
As of this posting, the CCPO has not reported any crimes or incidents related to the celebration of the Fiesta Señor.
This year’s Fiesta Señor is focused purely on holding the nine-day Novena Masses.
Organizers decided to cancel all external events since these posed risks for rapid transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The city government, for its part, did not suspend the requirement for Qpasses during the Fiesta Señor. /rcg
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