All is set for today’s annual solemn procession of the Señor Sto. Niño whose image will be brought out of the Basilica in Cebu City and followed on foot by thousands of devotees starting 1:30 p.m.
Road clearing will start earlier at 10 a.m.
Illegally parked vehicles and other obstructions will be removed to clear the route from the Basilica to Osmeña Blvd., to Fuente Osmeña, down Gen. Maxilom Avenue to Carreta Cemetery, through M.J. Cuenco Avenue and on to Plaza Independencia then back to the Basilica.
Starting Saturday, no vehicles will be allowed to park along the roads reserved for the procession, said Joy Tumulak, operations chief of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom).
Then on Sunday, towing and road clearing will start at 1 a.m. to prepare another route for the Sinulog grand parade.
All obstacles on the road that might impede the flow of people will be removed.
Fines for illegally parked vehicles are P1,500 for motorcycles and P2,500 for 4-wheeled vehicles.
By 5 a.m. Sunday, the South Bus Terminal will be closed, and operations temporarily moved near El Nido in the South Road Properties (SRP) road going to the University of the Philippines-SRP Campus.
Tumulak said vehicles from southern Cebu will be rerouted going to N. Bacalso Avenue and the Mambaling flyover with passengers to be dropped off directly at the terminal.
From the SRP Mambaling, the route will be going to SRP-Talisay.
“No-stopping” rules for vehicles will be strictly enforced, he said.
About 100 thousand passengers, including pilgrims, coming to Cebu City for the religious feast of the Sto. Niño or the merrymaking of the Sinulog are expected to visit from the southern part of the province.
At present, 510 Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) are expected to travel to the temporary terminal.
Tumulak said some jeepneys have applied for special permits allowing them to travel outside their normal routes during the Sinulog. The PUJ fare remains at P7.
The South Bus Terminal will reopen at 10 p.m. Sunday once the roads are clear, he said.