AFTER receiving several comments concerning the muddy conditions at the site where the 2023 Sinulog Festival will be held, the Cebu City Government will ask its official contractor to make improvements at the site at the South Road Properties (SRP) to ensure that the viewing experience of spectators won’t be hampered.
City Councilor Phillip Zafra, Sinulog 2023 executive committee chairman, said Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, that the private construction firm handling the engineering works of the venue is overlaying gravel and other materials to make the area less muddy during and after a downpour.
Zafra acknowledged that some people are criticizing the decision of the City Government to hold the Sinulog at the SRP after the two-year hiatus brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We saw what they’ve seen. I understand where they are coming from since it is a human instinct to think about comfort, especially since we will be transferring the Sinulog to a new location. But we have to realize that there will come a time that changes need to be done,” Zafra said in a mix of English and Cebuano.
Zafra added that aside from the private construction firm that the city hired, the Department of Engineering and Public Works is also conducting asphalting of road pavements leading to the venue.
He is confident that there are still enough days before the Sinulog Grand Parade on Jan. 15 to prepare the venue and somewhat address the concerns of the public.
Zafra is also hoping that the weather will be fair days before and during the grand parade.
But if worse comes to worst, Zafra urged revelers to bring umbrellas or raincoats and still enjoy the festivities since this is the comeback of the physical activities of Sinulog after being cancelled for two years.
In the event of hot and sunny weather, Zafra said the amphitheater-type grandstand and the bleachers along the parade route will be installed with canopies to protect the spectators from the heat.
The engineering works for the Sinulog is being handled by Dakay Construction, which is owned by Sinulog Foundation Inc. president Pericles “Ricky” Dakay.
Zafra said that three months ago, the construction firm had already begun assembling off-site the bleachers that can be installed within five minutes at their designated places in the SRP.