SMALL businesses that create props and costumes for the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo participants will benefit from the more than P200 million that the Cebu Provincial Government is spending for the festival this year.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said that a portion of the funding will surely go to medium, small and micro enterprises not only in Cebu City during the event on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, but also to the 51 municipalities and component cities that are competing.
“That is money poured into the Cebu economy, helping those in need, and those small business owners who are working hard,” she said in a mix of Cebuano and English during a meeting with stakeholders at the Capitol on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
Pasigarbo sa Sugbo will return to the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC), after it was held in Carcar City for the first time last year. The event in Carcar was marred by controversies due to technical glitches.
The Provincial Government has already released around P150 million in financial subsidies to be spent on the preparation of the participating contingents, of which P3 million is for those coming from mainland Cebu and P3.5 million for those coming from island towns.
However, the governor did not provide a breakdown for the rest of the allocated funds for the event.
The meeting last Tuesday was streamed live on the Capitol’s official social media page.
Full support
In the same meeting, the Provincial Government received the full support of the Cebu City Government, the municipalities and component cities and various stakeholders for the staging of the festival.
Acting Administrator Kristine Joyce Batucan assured Garcia of the Cebu City Government’s commitment to the success of the Pasigarbo. This includes mobilization of the City’s personnel and resources to manage traffic, logistics, billeting quarters, venue and others.
Also present in the meeting were representatives from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines, Land Transportation Office 7, Bureau of Fire Protection 7, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board 7, Cebu City Tourism Office, Cebu City Transportation Office, Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) and the private sector.
Fifty-two contingents — 51 are competing and one is a guest performer — are joining the festival, the highlight of the Province’s month-long founding anniversary celebration.
Garcia announced that a delegation from St. Petersburg, Russia will perform as guests in this year’s Pasigarbo.
“Ilang gitubag sad ang atong pagbisita didto (They responded to our visit there),” Garcia said.
Provincial Board Member Red Duterte said during the meeting that the grand stage preparations at the CCSC will begin on Sunday, Aug. 18. Dakay Construction will be in charge of putting up the stage at no cost to the Provincial Government.
On Aug. 22–24, the CCSC will be reserved for the blocking and practice of the contingents. The Pasigarbo will start on Aug. 25 with a street dance competition along the parade route, starting in front of the Capitol building on Escario St. to the CCSC on R.R. Landon St.
There will be satellite viewing areas and a food park located behind the grand stage, Capitol’s quadrangle, Fuente Osmeña Circle, Plaza Independencia and the CCSC badminton court.
Cebu City Tourism Officer Neil Odchigue said during the meeting that the City Hall will deploy at least 280 traffic personnel, 125 disaster response personnel and eight mobile patrols along the parade route and at the CCSC.
Meanwhile, the Local School Board of the Cebu City Government has prepared 30 schools that will serve as billeting quarters for 51 competing contingents. It will also deploy 244 personnel to assist with civil works and 268 maintenance personnel to manage 306 portalets and portabaths in the billeting quarters.
MCWD general manager Edgar Donoso assured the governor that there will be enough supply of clean and potable water for the billeting quarters, adding that water tanks and water trucks are being prepared to augment in cases of water shortage. The water district will also deploy potable water dispensers in strategic areas along the parade route.
Visayan Electric will send people to each billeting quarter to make sure that they always have power. The Cebu City Government will also keep two generators ready in case the CCSC needs power.
The Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard have pledged several of their vessels to transport contingents from the islands of Bantayan and Camotes before Aug. 25. Both units will send personnel to augment the PNP personnel as a force multiplier, including the deployment of K-9 units.
To secure the CCSC, parade route and surrounding streets, the Cebu City Police Office will send out at least 1,200 uniformed officers. To help with this, 400 police officers from the Cebu Police Provincial Office will also be deployed along with personnel on patrol cars and motorbikes. / EHP