THE Philippine Coast Guard Cebu (PCG Cebu) commander is requiring the organizing committee of the Sto. Niño fluvial procession to apply for a Coast Guard permit.
Agapito Bibat, Philippine Coast Guard Station Commander of Cebu, said a permit will cost the organizer P1,000 based on Memorandum Circular No. 04-14.
Bibat, who assumed office in October last year, said this was not implemented by his predecessor last year. He said he intends to strictly implement the memorandum this year.
The memorandum states that “an individual or organization planning to hold a maritime-related activities which, by its nature, circumstances or location, will introduce extra or unusual hazards to the safety of life on the navigable waters of the Philippines, shall submit an application to the Coast Guard District/Station having cognizance of the area where it is intended to hold or the starting point of such regatta or marine parade.”
Paul Yabao, overall Fiesta Señor consultant, said they didn’t know about the memorandum until recently.
Yabao said that in the past years, there was no need to secure a permit to conduct the fluvial procession. The PCG is part of the committee for the fluvial parade.
The application for the PCG permit has already been forwarded to lawyer Pat Acabodillo, who is the executive committee head for Fluvial Procession 2016.