PILGRIMS who wish to avail themselves of a space at the Devotee City are advised to register early as the organizers will implement a “first come, first served” policy.
Cebu City Councilor Francis Esparis, who is overseeing the Devotee City, said in an interview on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, that registration for accommodations will start as early as 6 a.m. Friday, January 19, the opening day.
The registration will end around 9:30 a.m.
"First come, first served basis kini kay dili nato tanan ma-accommodate," said Esparis.
The Devotee City is intended for pilgrims who have no families to stay with and cannot afford a hotel while in the city for the Fiesta Señor.
Pilgrims who wish to stay in the Devotee City, which is located at A. Pigafetta Street, in front of the Cebu City Postal Office, will have to present their bus lines and shipping line tickets as proof that they are from different regions who travelled to Cebu to celebrate the Fiesta Señor.
Esparis said that as of 7 a.m. of January 16, Cokaliong Shipping Lines has provided the 30 container vans.
Each container van can accommodate around 15 to 20 people.
In 2023, the Devotee City was only able to accommodate 300 pilgrims due to the smaller area and lesser amount of container vans.
Esparis said they will install more container vans this year, considering the location, which is now larger.
This is also to accommodate more devotees, saying there were devotees last year who were not accommodated, according to Esparis.
The Devotee City will be installed with basic amenities, such as portable toilets, food, water, shower, and electricity supply, as well as a cooking station outside the container van to allow devotees to cook their own food.
There are 14 City Hall departments that have been tapped to take care of the devotees, including the City Health Department, which will monitor the health of the devotees.
Esparis said standard fans and tents will be placed to ensure pilgrims will not be heavily affected by the heat.
Esparis assured the City has prepared for unpredictable weather, attributing it to Sto. Niño.
"Based sa observation nato, inig mosugod sa misa, mo landong," said Esparis.