Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia. (Photo courtesy of Cebu Capitol PIO)
CEBU CITY – The committee tasked to oversee the preparation for the Sinulog Festival next year inspected on Monday the South Road Properties (SRP) and the Cebu City Sports Center following proposals to hold the grand parade in honor of Sr. Sto. Niño in the old venue.
Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia led the Sinulog Executive Committee in checking the construction of bleachers at the SRP where the celebration was first held since the inception of the festival in 1980.
Garcia also accompanied the committee in inspecting the sports center, the usual venue of the yearly festival’s grand parade.
The inspection was conducted following the proposal of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia in a meeting with Sinulog Foundation Inc. executive director Jojo Labella on Dec. 6 to hold the grand parade at the sports center in exchange for the provincial government’s PHP20 million donation.
Some mayors from Cebu’s municipal and component cities also supported the governor’s proposal to go back to the old venue, saying the sports center has been “home to Sinulog Festival” ever since.
The acting mayor said he also wanted to finalize the decision for the venue following the suggestion of some members of the Cebu City Council to bring back the Sinulog parade to the old venue to prevent a repeat of monstrous traffic build-up in the city due to numerous roadblocks to give way for the celebration at the SRP area.
“Cebu City Sports Center is the more logical and more practical venue for Sinulog 2024,” he said.
However, Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera expressed reservations about the proposal, pointing out the construction of Bus Rapid Transit terminals on Osmeña Blvd. as well as the continued demolition of two skywalks.
Councilor Philip Zafra, chair of the Sinulog Executive Committee, said both venues are considered, suggesting that the grand parade could begin in one place and end in the other.
“We need to have a walkthrough because we need to iron out things for the Sinulog grand parade route,” he added. (PNA)
