Pintados-Kasadyaan prexy fears disruption of mardi gras

THE tussle that transpired during last year’s street parade of Pintados-Kasadyaan Festivals in Tacloban City is being feared to happen again this year.

In what he considers a desperate move, Eugene Tan, president of Pintados Foundation, said the City Government is allegedly crafting a plan to disrupt the mardi gras of the twin-billed festival at the Leyte Sports Development Center (Grandstand) this June 27.

“Based on unconfirmed notices that we receive lately, they are planning again to orchestrate an interruption so that our celebration will turn out unsuccessful just like what happened in the past,” Tan said in an interview over dyDW on Monday, referring to the commotion that transpired last June 27, 2011.

Last year, the City Government barricaded the contingents of Pintados Kasadyaan with dump trucks to disrupt their parade, claiming they are using a route not approved by the court.

“We bowed down and made some ways to avoid the clash that happened last year and yet they are making another trouble. They have to remember that their stay in the office is only temporary. We demand respect as Catholics the way how we give them respect,” Tan said.

“We even withdrew our plan to have a grand parade on the main thoroughfares in the city and decided to hold our activities inside the Leyte Grandstand and yet they are still disturbing us,” he added.

As an alternative, he said they told the 11 participating contingents of the Kasadyaan Festival coming from various municipalities in Leyte to use private vehicles instead of public utility buses so as not to give the enforcers any reason to stop them from entering the city.

“But, I do not know what violations will be pointed to us this time,” he said.

Bernardita Valenzuela, head of the city information office and executive assistant to Mayor Alfred Romualdez, categorically denied the claims of Tan, saying the allegation was baseless.

She said they will only deploy police personnel and traffic enforcers during the activity of Pintados-Kasadyaan in anticipation to heavy traffic and high volume of public that will troop to the city.

“There are only some people who want the City Government and the Pintados group in a clash. The report he (Tan) received is not true. The policemen and traffic enforcers are mandated to ensure peace and order in the city and to make sure that no traffic jam will happen,” she said.

Valenzuela added, “The Pintados group should coordinate early and have to submit themselves to the authority of the city.” (Leyte Samar Daily Express)