|
Thursday, March 24, 2005
6-vehicle crash, crowds mark Holy Week rush
FOR close to two hours, commuters bound for home or their holiday destinations in northern Cebu got stuck in Barangay Jagobiao, Mandaue City starting 7:15 last night.
The culprit: a northbound 10-wheeler truck that lost its brakes while going downhill, swerved onto the opposite lane and caused a six-vehicle pile-up.
The driver fled before police or traffic enforcers could ask his name or investigate. He left behind a truckload of roofing sheets, cement, plywood and other construction supplies, reportedly bound for Bogo.
No one was badly injured, although another driver, Ma. Sally Japitana, was left with scratches on her knee, said SPO1 Genaro Lambayan of the Mandaue Traffic Group.
That traffic jam was the most serious disruption reported, while traffic to Cebu’s towns grew unusually heavy as passengers headed home for Holy Week.
Authorities strictly enforced a no-overloading policy and beefed up security in ports and bus terminals in Cebu, for the safety of hundreds of passengers rushing to their hometowns.
The hard work paid off. No crimes or other major disruptions were reported, although the crowds were thick and the passengers’ lines stayed long the whole afternoon.
To keep Holy Week meaningful, an official of the Cebu Archdiocese suggested that people go to confession and retreats, forgive and perform acts of mercy—rather than making a spectacle of themselves by getting whipped or crucified.
But the whole year through, Msgr. Achilles Dakay said, one should not forget to hear mass at least every Sunday, if not everyday.
Praying that Cebu will remainone is what Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia intends to do today, Maundy Thursday, when she visits 17 churches in southern towns.
Crowd control
Lawmen set up three passenger assistance centers in Cebu City’s piers, while police and security guards watched the crowded South Bus Terminal on N. Bacalso Ave. around the clock.
At least 282 big buses and 84 mini-buses operate daily at the terminal, which the Cebu Provincial Government runs.
Terminal authorities expected a bigger crowd last night and early this morning.
At Pier 3, Coast Guard Deputy Chief Lemuel Alquiza said the number of ship passengers rose after lunch, most of them bound for Bohol and Leyte.
Alquiza said they expected more seafarers last night as big vessels were scheduled to leave for Manila and key cities in Mindanao such as Cagayan de Oro, Ozamiz, Butuan and Zamboanga.
Teams from the police, Coast Guard and Cebu Port Authority searched bags and fielded trained dogs to locate contraband.
The military and police are on heightened alert to preempt attacks, following reports that the Abu Sayyaf was out to avenge the siege last week that killed more than 20 of its fighters jailed in Metro Manila.
Cebu prayer
Governor Garcia called on Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Eduardo Gador and Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) Acting Chief Vicente Loot to tell their men to be “doubly alert.”
“Ayaw intawn mo katulog or kawagtang (Don’t sleep on the job or disappear), visibility is a deterrent so pakita mo (You have to show yourselves). Give people the sense of security, that you are around,” Garcia urged the PNP.
For her part, Garcia said she will recite one mystery of the rosary with the mayor of each of the second district’s 15 towns that she plans to drop by. Her prayer: that the plan to create three new provinces in Cebu will not succeed.
It is from the southern second district that she gets solid support for her crusade against dividing Cebu. All mayors in the district are allied with her. The 45 barangays of Argao, where Rep. Simeon Kintanar, author of the Cebu del Sur bill, hails from, also signed a manifesto against the plan.
Kintanar, and Reps. Antonio Yapha and Clavel Martinez, proponents of Occidental Cebu and Cebu del Norte, respectively, plan to have a campaign for their plan after the Holy Week.
Beyond Lent
It isn’t so much politics that concerns church leaders, but the piety of their flock.
Suffering may be the essence of Holy Week, but it is not the kind one gets from having himself crucified or whipped in public, said Msgr. Achilles Dakay, Archdiocesan media liaison officer.
“Suffering is not the same as enduring pain. Suffering entails humility and patience, no complaints and no regrets. This will redeem us,” he said.
Dakay also expressed concern over the people’s behavior throughout the year, realizing that most Christians are “seasonal Christians who only repent and make sacrifices during Lent.”
According to the monsignor, Lent should not be treated as an isolated time for self-sacrifice, which should be done the entire year.
Traditional Catholic Holy Week activities include the Visita Iglesia (visitation of seven churches) on Holy Thursday, Siete Palabras (procession and reenactment) on Good Friday, a vigil on Black Saturday and the Sugat or resurrection ritual on Sunday. (GC/JPM/JGA)
(March 24, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
