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Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Sinulog ‘can’t be split’ from church rites
CEBU CITY -- Sinulog festivities cannot be postponed to give way to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit, Cebu Archdiocese officials said Tuesday.
But at the Cebu City Hall, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he is “willing to rearrange” the Sinulog 2007 schedules to accommodate the 12th Asean summit activities next month.
Sun.Star Network Online's 12th Asean Summit Watch
He said, though, that the religious activities of the Sinulog will be spared.
“Except for the religion aspect, which is the procession, I might consider changing the schedule all around,” the mayor said.
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal likened the Sinulog festival to the rain, which he said, cannot be postponed.
Monsignor Achilles Dakay, archdiocesan media liaison officer, cited the separation of Church and State, saying that the government cannot just ask for the postponement of a religious celebration.
“They should adjust the schedules to suit the activities for the fiesta Señor. We should continue with the activities,” he said.
Among other concerns, both church officials and summit organizers foresee problems with hotel reservations and security when the summit is held on January 11 to 14, a week before the Sinulog grand parade.
Ambassador Victoriano Lecaros announced Tuesday that the tentative schedule for the summit is on January 8 to 13.
“My only concern is that they (organizers) will not be able to keep all the soldiers until January, because you have to feed them...Asa man sila ibutang?” Vidal told reporters Tuesday.
He is worried that between the original and the new summit schedules, security in Cebu will be compromised.
“Meanwhile, elements may come, who will watch the house?” he asked.
Vidal also expressed his concern for those who have already reserved hotel rooms for the festivities and how the Asean delegates can be accommodated.
“That is the problem. Those who already made hotel reservations to attend the feast of the Sto. Niño should not be dislodged to make room for Asean delegates,” Dakay said.
During the national organizing committee (NOC) meeting last Monday, Osmeña proposed that a select group of contingents perform in a special presentation before the heads of state and the international media.
He said he could ask the contingents to come to Cebu and perform early, confident that the performers will accede to his plan because of the exposure they will get.
The mayor, though, is not hopeful that his proposal will be accepted because of past experiences, when summit organizers and the National Government suddenly changed their minds on what was previously agreed upon.
He mentioned the declaration of the four-day holiday, which President Arroyo later amended to exclude the private sector.
He said that if the NOC agrees to what he suggested, it should inform him as soon as possible so he could make the necessary arrangements, especially with the out-of-town participants.
Also, the mayor said the P100,000 he gave to each of 29 Cebu City barangays will just serve as the City Government’s Christmas gift.
The money was intended for the City’s Balik Bukid program so mountain barangay residents will not go to the city and worsen the congestion there.
The barangays were encouraged to hold numerous activities from December 11 to 14, the original dates of the summit.
“They (barangay activities) will continue no matter what happened. That’s our Christmas gift to them,” he said.
The Toledo City Government, which accepted Cebu City’s offer, also continued with the activities it slated.
Mayor Arlene Zambo Tuesday accepted the P200,000 check from Cebu City through City Councilor Augustus Pe Jr. (RHM & JGA of Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (December 13, 2006 issue)
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Asean summit shelved ‘effectively’?