Author Topic: Sinulog Fiesta crowds outlast rains  (Read 1110 times)

Brownman

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Sinulog Fiesta crowds outlast rains
« on: January 21, 2008, 06:15:20 PM »


CEBU’S twin fiesta celebrations stretched over 14 hours with no major snags, and even the only thing organizers couldn’t control—bad weather—failed to drive the crowds away.

No major alarms disrupted the religious and cultural activities, from Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal’s mass at 6 a.m. to the end of the Sinulog grand parade at 7:30 p.m.

“It’s terrific, the Sinulog is world-class. The choreography, imagination and execution just gets better and better every year,” said Sen. Manuel Roxas II, who watched the entire parade from the grandstand, said the rest of the country can learn from the Cebu experience.

“It’s a tribute to all the Cebuanos for staying focused and being united. If we all do well, I think the same thing can happen to our country,” he told reporters after the Sinulog’s grand finale.

Roxas also witnessed the exchange of pleasantries between Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Gov. Gwen Garcia, amid a conflict over an aborted land exchange deal.

After seeing some 30,000 revelers enjoy the Sinulog 2008 parade and grand finale, Osmeña said the City’s investments in the festival have paid off.

Osmeña said he was impressed with the improvements he saw in the parade, including the stage and production numbers patterned after shows in Las Vegas, which cost organizers P1.3 million.

Vegas trip

“That is something new. We always want it to look different every year... that’s why I said it’s a good investment to send people to Las Vegas,” he said, referring to the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) officials’ trip to Nevada in the United States last year to observe the shows there.

The mayor was also happy with the crowd turnout and the participation of more contingents from other towns and provinces.

He congratulated the Cebuanos for cooperating and behaving to make Sinulog 2008 successful, saying the credit goes to all Cebuanos, and not just the organizers and city officials.

“That is what’s special about Cebu. We don’t look down on other places unlike Manila. We’re so open to the out-of-towners and that’s something different here. They feel that they are welcome because that is our culture,” Osmeña added.

But for the next Sinulog, the mayor wants organizers to put more emphasis on the Sinulog Festival Queen competition, saying last Saturday night’s contest was underrated.

The search for the most graceful and beautiful female lead dancer is rich in terms of cultural and aesthetic value, with all lead dancers parading in their costumes. It is even better than the Ms. Philippines pageant, Osmeña said, but it was overlooked and not given enough publicity.

Stagecraft

Before he could rest after the day’s exertions, one of the organizers was already thinking of what can be done better next year.

SFI Executive Director Ricky Ballesteros said they will change the design of the stage next year in such a way that water will drain to the ground after the rain, allowing the dancers to perform on stage without slipping.

“Every year, we have to look for something new to improve the Sinulog. The stage would be one thing we have to improve because the dancers cannot perform there when it’s raining. So maybe we can put holes on the stage so the water drains to the ground,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.

Except for two brief encounters between the warring Crips and Bloods gangs on the streets of T. Padilla and B. Rodriguez, and several reports about drunk persons, the Sinulog was generally peaceful and orderly, Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador said last night.

There were no major alarms, he added.

As of 3 p.m., the Fuente Osmeña Police Station recorded only two cases of pickpockets, while one other case reached the Waterfront Police Station’s desk.

Less crime

Compared last year, the Cebu City police chief said, the number of criminal incidents declined dramatically. As of noon time in last year’s parade, Comendador recalled, there were more than 20 incidents of pickpockets and petty theft cases received by Fuente police.

For Comendador and Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Ronald Roderos, the success of yesterday’s celebration can be attributed to the “Cebuano spirit” and the public’s cooperation in keeping the festivity peaceful and orderly.

Aside from the sector commanders assigned by the Cebu City office, Director Roderos also designated officers from his directorial staff as sector supervisors, to help Comendador.

Roderos told reporters he did not want the Cebu City police chief to be overworked, which was why his officials, all ranked senior superintendent, were deployed throughout the carousel route. Roderos himself inspected the parade route yesterday morning, calling the attention of police officers who did not wear their uniforms properly.

He also talked to members of the Alpha Kappa Rho (Akrho) fraternity after learning that someone tried to burn their float.

Junrey Tindoy, Akrho president of the Cebu supreme council, said four men wearing cloth masks opened fire at their brothers who were putting the finishing touches on their float at 2:30 a.m. yesterday.

Full alert

Four men on two motorcycles suddenly appeared and pointed a gun at the guard of the San Fernando Funeral Homes, which is operated by Akrho regional president Richard Buscaino.

They then hurled gasoline at the flowers atop the float and tossed a lighted cigarette on top of it, so that it caught fire.

No one was hurt, but the incident left two gunshot holes on the float. Asked if this discouraged them from continuing with the parade, Tindoy said the incident only strengthened the fraternity’s resolve to participate in the Sinulog.

Comendador congratulated the Cebu City police and back-up teams from the Regional Mobile Group 7 and Regional Training School 7 for their sacrifice. They were on the streets as early as 5:45 a.m. and stayed until the parade ended around 7:30 p.m.

Cebu’s police forces were on full alert since noon last Friday. All stations were ordered to tighten security measures of “vital installations, economic key points, places of convergence and other probable vulnerable targets.”

Police chiefs in Lapu-Lapu, Toledo, Bogo, Danao, Talisay, Tabuelan, Santander, Argao, Oslob and Naga were ordered to pay special attention to terminals and piers where tourists and locals arrived to witness the grand parade in Cebu City. (LCR/JST/

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Glen

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Reply: Sinulog Fiesta crowds outlast rains
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2008, 09:28:41 PM »
Hoy kuyawa god diay ang sinulog.

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junayag

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Reply: Sinulog Fiesta crowds outlast rains
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2008, 11:54:51 PM »

am looking forward nga ang atong Sandugo Festival will be on the same level as what Sinulog has attained.  nothing will be impossible if we will work united...Congratulations to the Sinulog organizers...you will be the benchmark for Sandugo Festival.

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B:)

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Reply: Sinulog Fiesta crowds outlast rains
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2008, 03:11:51 AM »
I wouldn't be suprised, Cebu have lots of budget for that event every year. It's one of their huge event of the year kung baga. After all they're one of the highest net income in the visayas region (as what i've heard). My first time seeing Sinulog in 1994, I got lost from my circle of friends. Just so much crowd and yet so much fun.

Mr.junayag, certainly. When there's a will, there's a way.

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thegirlnextdoor

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Reply: Sinulog Fiesta crowds outlast rains
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2008, 06:40:44 AM »
I participated in sinulog for two days also during the year 2006 and it was allot of fun for me also. Made me admire Ceb even more.
I do not care for the one of the persons in charge of the committee he is really a snootapottomas!
I am being nice when I say that.
I did enjoy getting my composed CD of sinulog from a friend of mine Elvis Somosot who is known for his Alturas, Marcella, Nature Spring, Marcella feeds, jingles here in Bohol.
Elvis is also a regular judge of Alturas Show Down every year.


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junayag

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Reply: Sinulog Fiesta crowds outlast rains
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2008, 03:02:08 PM »


Anticipating success of any festival has something to do with leadership abilities of the organizers and concerted efforts from all sectors both from government and non-government entities and the public as a whole.  If we want Sandugo Festival a GRAND ONE and a BIG SUCCESS.. it requires HUGE SUPPORT in terms of  financial backing, sufficient research, sincere dedication and WORLD CLASS ideas....

With the efforts spent by the Cebu organizers in the Sinulog, they deserved for praise.

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