Moving slowly, solemnly and with only soft music in the background. Even the crowd on both sides of Osmeña Boulevard in front of Cebu Doctors Hospital are silent. (CDN PHOTO/EILEEN G. MANGUBAT)
At least 200,000 devotees filled the streets along Osmeña Boulevard on Friday afternoon to attend the Mass and the procession that followed as part of the ongoing 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC).
Despite the crowd, the Mass and the close to three-hour long procession to Plaza Independencia in downtown Cebu City went smoothly, said Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak.
The crowd started converging at the capitol grounds about 2 p.m., two hours before the start of the Mass that was also attended by the more than 15,000 delegates to the IEC from 72 countries.
People filled the almost 800-meter stretch from the provincial capitol to Fuente Osmeña circle. Others occupied nearby roads.
Some stayed at a portion of Escario Street from the corner of Osmeña Boulevard to Clavano Street while others were at a portion of M. Velez Street before the bridge.
The city’s command center did not receive a single report of people fainting along the 3.6 kilometer procession route or children who wandered from their parents.
“The event was very secured and orderly. It was a religious activity and we talking of faith here,” he said.
Tumulak said that everything remained orderly when procession started at about 6 p.m.
People walked the procession route (both sides of Osmena boulevard), carrying lighted candles. Others prayed the rosary.
“The people were prepared. Others brought water. Some had chairs with them,” said Tumulak who monitored the flow of the procession through the close circuit television cameras on the streets that were connected to the city’s command center.
As of 7 p.m., the head of the procession reached the corner of Osmeña Boulevard and Plaridel Street near Luym Building but its tail was still at the Fuente Osmena circle.
The entire street has a distance of 1.8 kilometers.