AS THE holidays just ended ushering in the New Year, Cagayan de Oro City is now preparing for another major religious event – the Feast of Black Nazarene on Saturday, January 9.
With this, the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) is setting up security plans for the feast as devotees from other parts of Mindanao and even the Visayas are expected to flock here this weekend to join the traslacion of the Black Nazarene.
Cocpo deputy director for administration and acting city director Superintendent Danildo Tumanda said series of conferences have been conducted since last month to come up with the security plan for the procession of the Black Nazarene and instructions have been relayed to the different units and police stations to assure the safety of the public during the traslacion.
“Expected nang daghan tawo kay daghan man gud devotees nga dili lang from Cagayan de Oro (It is expected that there would be a lot of people considering that many devotees from outside Cagayan de Oro will be attending),” Tumanda said.
Tumanda said there is enough police to be assigned at Pelaez Sports Center where the vigil will be held on January 8, Friday, and up to all the routes of the procession to provide security.
On Saturday, the mass will start at 3:30 a.m. and the traslacion at 4:30 a.m. from Pelaez Sports Center passing Velez street, Julio Pacana Ext., Gaabucayan, Agora Road, to C.M. Recto Extension and back to the Nazareno Church.
Devotees are discouraged to wear caps, shades and bring backpacks.
“Amo gayud nang sitahon kanang mga gadala sa mga ginadili (We are going to call the attention of those who are carrying something prohibited),” Tumanda said.
Meanwhile, the Nazareno Church Parish Priest Fr. Jose Alan Pulgo is also discouraging the devotees to bring children 12 years old and below, pregnant and those who have illnesses.
Based from the evaluation and observation, Fr. Pulgo said the number of devotees participating in the traslacion has been increasing.
“Gakadaghan gayud ang mga devotees kada tuig (The devotees have been increasing each year),” Pulgo said.
Pulgo reminds vendors outside the church to stay farther from the church so that devotees can easily go through the entrance to avoid congestion.
Pulgo said there will be no major changes for the celebration this year.
“Wala kaayo kausaban ang ruta mao ra gihapon, ang procession morning para dili kaayo init and dili kaayo ma-traffic (There aren’t much changes, the route remains the same, the procession is in the morning so it won’t be too hot and there’d be less traffic),” Pulgo said.
At the Sports Center, a short program and fireworks display await the devotees.
Fr. Pulgo will give his message and Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny Emano is going to welcome the devotees.
“Dili gayud nato ni pasagulan sa politika, but since ang Sports Center is nasanghid nato kang Gov. Emano gipanghiran nato siya maghatag sa pag-welcome sa mga devotees (We don’t want this to be mixed with politics, but since we asked permission from Gov. Emano for the use of the the Sports Center, we asked him to welcome the devotees),” Fr. Pulgo said.
The parish priest also reminds the devotees to keep their faith strong as they will try to touch the replica of the Black Nazarene.
“Kinahanglan nga dili lang nato tuohan nga naay milagro sa atong paghikap but tungod kana sa pagtuo nato sa GInoo,” Gulpo added.
Police authorities are reminding devotees and the public to be vigilant against criminals who might take advantage of the situation.
The replica of the Black Nazarene arrived in the city in 2009 and since then the Mindanao traslacion has been observed in the city that has been drawing devotees from nearby provinces in Mindanao and the Visayas.