THE Cebu City police have prepared to provide security for the Walk with Mary on Thursday morning, January 15, 2026, which is expected to draw a large crowd of Catholic devotees.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Jose Losbaños, information officer of the Cebu City Police Office, said that over 1,000 police personnel will be deployed along the streets, not including government agencies such as the Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Army, Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Cebu City Transportation Office, and force multipliers like barangay tanods.
Additional support will come from the Negros Island Region, contributing 200 personnel, while Police Regional Office-Eastern Visayas will send 301 personnel to Cebu. They will also be deployed for the Walk with Mary and the Traslacion later in the morning after the holy mass at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño.
One of the police preparations focuses on managing the large crowds expected to join the procession from Fuente Osmeña Rotunda to the Basilica.
Their goal is to prevent stampedes, recalling concerns during the Walk with Jesus, when the route near Abellana National High School became congested due to the BRT station. The police aim to ensure that such bottlenecks do not happen again.
Losbaños acknowledged that the number of Catholic devotees could double compared to the Walk with Jesus, as the Sinulog Festival approaches, making them extra cautious.
“Atung pagpangandam ani nga atung i-make sure nga ang crowd ma control gyud nato, just like kadtong nahitabo sa Walk with Jesus, medyo ni sikip gamay during sa pagparada,” said Losbaños.
(Our preparations are to make sure we can properly control the crowd, just like what happened during the Walk with Jesus, which got a bit congested during the parade.)
They have also assigned personnel to monitor the Traslacion route from the Basilica to the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City. (AYB)