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Tuesday, January 18, 2004
Close to 1M devotees attend 5-hr procession
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez and Allan I. Varquez
CEBU -- Close to a million devotees braved the heat and a five-kilometer route to pay reverence to Señor Sto. Niño in Saturday's solemn procession, the religious highlight of Cebu's Sinulog.
Devotees waved their hands and released doves, balloons and confetti as soon as the image of the Holy Child passed by them.
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal led the faithful and said a prayer for "clean and peaceful elections" in May.
However, the prelate, who will turn 73 next month, admitted that he was exhausted after the procession.
"I'm tired. I'm very, very tired," he told reporters on his way to rest at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral rectory.
Vidal will celebrate the 6 a.m. pontifical mass on Sunday, feast day of the Sto. Niño.
Although the route was longer, the procession took less than five hours and finished earlier than last year.
However, it took almost 30 minutes for the carroza of the Sto. Niño to proceed to D. Jakosalem St. since crowds started pushing their way into the cordon and three layers of security personnel.
The security detail was composed of police recruits, guards and volunteers from the Civil Welfare Training Service.
Some of the devotees did not mind getting hurt as security personnel tried to stop them.
Crowd control
The crowd's refusal to immediately clear the streets, especially D. Jakosalem, stalled the procession for some minutes.
Around 500 security guards cordoned the area occupied by the carroza, Cardinal Vidal and other priests and public officials.
Sen. Robert Barbers, Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north), Rep. Jose Gullas (Cebu, 1st district) and Talisay City Mayor Eduardo Gullas were among those present.
Before the group reached the corner of D. Jakosalem and Colon Sts., some 50 priests and nuns were asked to step out of the cordoned area because they had to limit the persons to 80 for better security, said Sto. Niño Barangay Councilor Pancho Ramirez, a member of the crowd control team.
However, the congestion was partly because Barbers brought with him about 20 bodyguards during the procession.
Despite appeals not to use the Sinulog for politics, streamers of the Kontra Politika Movement, Akbayan Party-list and the Maganto for Senator Movement were also seen along the procession route.
Those balloons
Devotees started walking from the Basilica del Sto. Niño, then to D. Jakosalem St., to Gen. Maxilom Ave., M.J. Cuenco Ave. and back to the basilica at 6:45 p.m.
Confetti fell from a giant golden crown that was rigged over D. Jakosalem St. near the University of the Visayas, while dozens of balloons were released at the Sacred Heart Parish.
An unidentified boy was hurt when the balloon he was holding burst after a lighted candle touched it. His hair caught fire.
Just before the Holy Child returned to the basilica, another balloon that burst caused a minor stampede on M.J. Cuenco Ave. near Plaza Independencia. People thought a bomb had exploded.
Just a balloon, someone shouted. And people calmed down.
Priests had repeatedly warned against bringing balloons because these could cause accidents.
Joyful crowds
The crowds, though, could not be stopped, especially in showing their faith in Sto. Niño. Some children even danced the Sinulog in front of the Archbishop's Palace.
The joy shown by Cebuanos in welcoming the feast of the Sto. Niño is proof that the Holy Child has the power to unite people, one clergyman said.
"Bisan na lang sa fiesta we forget our problems, our division, and we remember that we all are brothers," said Bishop John Du during the mass that followed at the Pilgrim Center last night.
Du urged the people to show their love everyday and not just during special occasions such as the Sinulog.
"If we do this, we will grow spiritually," he said.
Security at the basilica was tighter than usual, with 24 more guards augmenting the six already detailed in the area.
The gates on Burgos St., Osmeña Blvd. and D. Jakosalem and Borromeo Sts. were closed until the procession ended and the mass started about 7 last night.
The basilica had to be "cleansed" last Thursday dawn after a church worker was shot inside the basilica last Jan. 11. It was closed to the public from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 4 a.m. Thursday.
Donal Donasco, a security guard, said each member-security agency of the Philippine Association of Detective and Protective Agency Operators committed for free 10 guards to secure the basilica and the procession.
Four Red Cross first aid stations were also set up near the Pilgrim Center.
(January 18, 2004 issue)
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