|
Sunday, January 19, 2003
For 10 hours, dancers takeover streets
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
WITH more groups competing in today’s Sinulog grand parade than last year’s, Cebuanos and tourists can expect a more “exciting” street performance that will last at least 10 hours, organizers said yesterday.
Fifty-seven dancing contingents will hit the streets, along with 32 floats, 24 higantes and 18 puppets. The carousel-type parade will start at 9 a.m., although the route, which includes P. del Rosario St., New Imus Road, Gen. Maxilom Ave. and Osmeña Blvd., will be closed to traffic as early as 6 a.m.
Sto. Niño devotees who are going to the Basilica del Sto. Niño can take other routes that will be open to motorists.
There will be a lunch break from 12 noon to 1 p.m. to allow participants to rest and eat.
For security, revelers can rely on the police, volunteer anti-crime groups, soldiers from the Central Command (Centcom), Reserved Officers Training Course (ROTC) cadets, bomb experts and trained dogs.
Dancing contingents will assemble at four areas—Cebu City Sports Center, P. del Rosario St., Imus Ave. and in front of Rivergate mall along Gen. Maxilom Ave.
Participants are expected to do progressive street-dancing all throughout the parade route. Violators will be penalized.
To encourage contingents to dance continuously, prizes will be given to the top three groups during the awarding ceremonies tomorrow.
A five-minute ritual will be performed at the sports center to ensure that the parade will not be stalled at any point.
But in case the performances at the center will create a bottleneck, the contingents will have to dance along N. Bacalso Ave., before turning left and heading towards P. del Rosario St., said Sinulog Foundation executive director Ricky Ballesteros.
Vice Mayor Michael Rama, Sinulog 2003 overall chairman, said the problems will be addressed as they arise today. Organizers can still decide on some changes before the start of the parade and during the one-hour lunch break.
Fireworks
The carousel route was first introduced last year. But some contingents complained of route changes.
Instead of one, there will be two fireworks displays that will cap the celebration. The Sinulog Foundation spent P250,000 for the 15-minute display at the sports center while the Department of Tourism, through Secretary Richard Gordon, sponsored another display worth P200,000 at the Fuente area.
Meanwhile, the Cebu City police assured that enough policemen, both uniformed and undercover, will be deployed during today’s grand parade.
Members of various volunteer anti-crime groups, policemen from the Regional Mobile Group 7 and the Cebu Provincial Police Office will back the Cebu City police force.
The Centcom will also deploy their uniformed personnel and ROTC cadets during the parade.
Aside from the deployment of troops, Centcom will also have a medical team from Camp Lapu-Lapu Hospital to support the medical committee for the parade.
Bomb experts and trained dogs will be used to “sanitize” the venue. Kaoshioung buses will also be stationed along the parade route, to serve as temporary detention cells.
Uniformed and covert PNP and military personnel will be using metal detectors while deployed along the parade route.
The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has set up an operation center at the grand stand and CCPO Director Josephus Angan will supervise his men by walking around the parade route.
Angan warned the people to be extra careful as lawless elements are expected to be among the crowd. He also advised the public not to leave home altogether, as criminals may take advantage of the situation to steal their belongings.
While at the parade, spectators must watch over their personal things and should not wear expensive jewelry so as not to be easy targets of robbers.
The CCPO’s Theft and Robbery Section reported that they have monitored arrivals of thieves from outside Cebu who are expected to strike during the grand parade.
The TRS also noted an increase in theft and robbery cases during the later part of December up to this month.
Last Wednesday, two suspected robbers from Minda-nao were killed by the police after allegedly victimizing a jeepney passenger.
(January 19, 2003 issue)
Want Sun.Star news on your mobile phone? Click here. |
|
[ return
to top ]
[ home
]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
