THE Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) will not allow business establishments to hold street parties during the Sinulog.
Senior Supt. Julian Entoma, MCPO director, said they will only approve indoor parties that will coincide with the first until the seventh night of the novena, Jan. 10-16.
Entoma said they will not allow parties that will happen on the day of the Traslacion on Jan. 19 and the Sinulog Grand Parade on Jan. 20.
The police confiscated ecstasy tablets in past street parties in Mandaue City.
The security permits for indoor events in the city will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.
Only one event per night will be given security. No permits will be given to establishments planning to hold parties on Jan. 18-20.
Permits from the police, Bureau of Fire Protection, and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office are prerequisites for a business establishment before it can obtain the mayor’s permit.
In last year’s Sinulog, the City Government closed three establishments for their failure to acquire a mayor’s permit.
Authorities have observed that Sinulog revelers often swelled to Mandaue City in the past years.
An exception was given to City Time Square, which will hold a concert on Jan. 19. The organizers got a permit last Dec. 15 and they promised that the crowd will not spill into the streets.
Entoma said a full alert status will be declared on Jan. 9 in preparation for the Sinulog, but the MCPO is expected to send some of its personnel to Cebu City to secure the Sinulog Grand Parade.
The Cebu City Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) will start accepting applications for registration of those who want to sell during the Sinulog festivities on Saturday, Jan. 5.
Meanwhile, DWUP Operations Chief Genevieve Alcoseba said they will only accept applications for vendor registration for a week.
“The only extension we will accept is (for) those vendors who are from other provinces or islands. We can give them consideration since they will be coming from far places,” she said.
The registration will start on Saturday, Jan. 5 until next Saturday, Jan. 12.
Alcoseba said those who want to sell will have to bring their identification cards upon registering and pay the registration fee.
Registration fee will depend on what kind of products they will sell.
Alcoseba urged those who want to sell to register on earlier days since they are expecting more vendors this year.
“Last year, we had around 3,000 vendors. This year, we expect that there are around 4,000 vendors who will register because the number is always increasing every year,” she said.
The DWUP will set up a registration booth in front of City Hall.
Although city residents will be the priority, Alcoseba said those from outside the city can still register and sell. (RVC / FROM FMD OF SUPERBALITA CEBU / KAL)