A thick crowd is seen at a mall near the Sinulog Grand Parade site on Jan. 15, 2023. | Futch Anthony Inso
CEBU CITY, Philippines — As of 6:52 p.m. today, Jan. 15, 2023, the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office or the CDRRMO recorded 649,400 spectators, who joined the Sinulog grand parade and the ritual showdown at the SRP grounds and other activities in both uptown and downtown areas in Cebu City.
The CDRMMO has yet to also finalize the number of incidents that the emergency responders assisted earlier.
For his part, Police Brigadier General Jerry Bearis, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) director, said that so far, the entire activity was generally peaceful.
Further, police arrested 12 individuals, who were allegedly responsible in some pickpocketing incidents in the city.
Bearis said that the success of the event was because of the close coordination of all involved agencies, and with the community.
He further clarified that they did not implement signal jamming after reports that the signal were sometimes interrupted in the area.
For his part, Police Colonel Ireneo Dalogdog, chief of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), reminds and gives a stern warning for everyone to never engage in any trouble because regardless if the involved parties settle amicably, police will still file alarm and scandal complaints against these troublemakers.
Dalogdog said that the security personnel were already in all areas of convergence, particularly in nearby bars.
Those, who were also deployed at the SRP grounds, will also be added as additional policemen in these areas.
They noticed that around the afternoon, the number of individuals were already increasing in the city.
Dalogdog said that they were expecting that those, who went to SRP grounds to witness the Sinulog grand parade and ritual showdown, would be heading back to uptown and downtown areas to continue their celebration.
He reminds the public to drink moderately to avoid being victims or perpetrators of any possible crime.
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