Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama and Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia opens the virtual Sinulog 2022.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has announced on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, that it has been decided that the Sinulog 2023 festivities to be led by the city government will be held at the South Road Properties (SRP.)
“Sinulog, for your information, will be at South Road Properties. I talked it over with the governor (Gwendolyn Garcia), and I told the governor, let’s make one Island of Cebu Sinulog, Province of Cebu, tri-cities Sinulog, and Sinulog will be at the South Road Properties,” he said.
The mayor announced this when he gave his report of his accomplishments during his first 100 days in office in a ceremony held at the Plaza Sugbo on that day.
Rama said the city would use the lot across a mall in SRP as the Sinulog venue, where a large-scale “tent city” will also be put up.
The Sinulog next year will be participated by several members of the Hotel, Resort, and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC).
“(There will be) tent city and you are all invited to be there,” Rama said.
“Bring your own provision, and carry with you money because we will be bringing all hotels there in a tent, and in a tent, there will be what I call a contest and the whole SRP will be converted…it will be filled with tents and mobile cars,” he added.
In a separate interview, Elmer “Jojo” Labella, the executive director of the Sinulog Foundation, Inc., said that they already sent out invitations to Sinulog contingents since August this year.
When sought for comment on the mayor’s announcement, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) President Charles Kenneth Co admitted that he first heard of this during the mayor’s speech on Monday, but he urged Cebu’s businesses to support this move of the city government.
“Some business along the old Sinulog route will not be happy with this change. (Meanwhile) The new route will give opportunities to all businesses who want to get involved in the commercial aspect of the festivities,” he said.
“Let’s support our Mayor and the City with this new change so that it will be an enjoyable Sinulog for everyone especially our pilgrim and visitors,” he added.
Co said SRP was the city’s biggest investment and he understood the mayor’s aim to ‘spur’ development in SRP.
“And bringing the Sinulog there is one of the ways to accomplish that. Hopefully, this will lessen the garbage problem we encounter after every Sinulog,” Co said.
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