FLUVIAL PROCESSION PREPS. Members of the Philippine Coast Guard carry an empty "urna" during the walkthrough as part of the preparation for the annual Fluvial Procession of the sacred image of the Sr. Sto. Niño on Saturday (Jan. 20, 2024). PCG-Cebu chief Commander Mark Larsen Mariano issued the guidelines for the 204 watercrafts participating in the procession, on Thursday (Jan. 18, 2024). (Photo courtesy of Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu)
CEBU CITY – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Cebu on Thursday advised the 204 vessels that will join the fluvial procession of Sr. Sto. Niño to follow the guidelines to avoid untoward incidents that may disturb the Sinulog celebration.
Commander Mark Larsen Mariano, PCG-Cebu chief, said 139 motorized bancas, 31 passenger vessels, 4 speedboats, 24 tugboats, and 6 yachts will participate in the religious procession at the Mactan Channel in depicting the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan’s Galleon.
He said all participating vessels are instructed not to use helium-inflated balloons as decorations and must have life jackets enough for the number of persons on board.
“Passengers aboard participating vessels/motor bancas with open deck accommodation are required to wear lifejackets all throughout the Fluvial Procession or while at sea,” he said.
Overloading and overcrowding in the vessels are strictly prohibited, and children below 23 are not allowed on board.
Dancers on board may wear their costumes, but the pilots are advised to make lifejackets and life buoys or rings accessible.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office 7 (Central Visayas), said the police would fully implement the liquor ban in the entire city during the Sinulog to deter cases of physical injuries, which are usually recorded during the festival.
“As you can see, in our initial activities of Sinulog, it has been very peaceful, very solemn, very secured because, of course, of the cooperation of the people in Central Visayas and clear coordination of the law enforcement sector,” Pelare told reporters.
On Thursday, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia met with the mayors, Land Transportation Office and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board officials, as well as public transport operators to plot the traffic flow in the southern section of Metro Cebu during the solemn foot procession and Sinulog Festival.
Garcia said B. Rodriguez Street, an emergency corridor for hospitals in the Fuente Osmeña area, must also be cleared for ambulances and other vehicles carrying patients who need immediate medical attention. (PNA)
