MANDAUE City Mayor Jonas Cortes confirmed that the City will not participate in the Sinulog Grand Parade and Ritual Showdown at the South Road Properties (SRP) grounds on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024.
In a media interview on Wednesday, Jan. 17, Cortes said that he had decided to give the dancers time to rest, stressing they will also have a special performance during the Traslacion on Friday, Jan. 19.
“Maluoy sad tas atong mga kabataan. Ang atong mga dancers from Sinulog sa Lalawigan then naa na sad ang Traslacion. Unya inig ka Dominggo nasab muapel na sad sa (Sinulog) Grand Showdown,” said Cortes.
(Let’s have compassion for our children. Our dancers from Sinulog sa Lalawigan will perform during the Traslacion. And then, this Sunday, they will also dance at the Sinulog Grand Showdown?)
However, the mayor has not yet decided whether the City will participate in the Sinulog sa Carmen, held every fourth Sunday of January.
He said they will consider several factors before joining the competition, including the City’s budget for the contest and its preparation for Mandaue’s upcoming fiesta celebration in May.
Despite not joining, Cortes assured they would send help, particularly for medical and emergency responses, as they will be sending personnel from the Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MCDRRMO).
He said he tasked the MCDRRMO to coordinate with its counterpart, the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
Traslacion
Cortes also said it’s already “all systems go” for the Traslacion on Saturday, ensuring the deployment of medical personnel in each sector for security and assistance.
Lieutenant Colonel Franco Rudolf Oriol, Deputy City director for Administration and spokesperson of the Mandaue City Police Office, said the 3.3-kilometer motorcade route for the Traslacion will be divided into six sectors.
Oriol explained that each sector is comprised of police personnel, Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue personnel, barangay tanods (village guards), and disaster risk reduction and management, along with other city-based law enforcement personnel.
The Traslacion to Mandaue City will be at 6:45 a.m. Friday, while the Traslacion to Lapu-Lapu City will follow at midnight.
Prayerful ambiance
Meanwhile, Rev. Msgr. Antonio Medida, member of Team of Pastors, reminded the public to maintain a prayerful ambiance during the Traslacion event.
Aside from joining the seaborne, Medida also announced that Mandaue’s patron, St. Joseph the Worker, will stay at the Basilica Minore del Sto Niño until the end of the Sinulog festivities and will return to The National Shrine of St Joseph Church on Monday, Jan. 22.
He added that they will conduct eight masses, in addition to the welcome mass, while the two patron images of Señor Sto Niño and Our Lady of Guadalupe stay at St. Joseph Church.
Devotees will also get the opportunity to touch the patrons and offer their prayers during a veneration that the church will hold on Friday until 10 p.m.