CEBU, Philippines – The Cebu City government will impose a ban on street parties, the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages, and other entertainment activities from January 18 to 19 during the Sinulog and Fiesta Señor celebrations.
Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia announced this in a press conference on Monday, January 6, where he also signed the executive order mandating the prohibition.
“We will be very strict with that. We will really implement that roads will not have even ‘spill-over’ parties,” Garcia told reporters.
Included in the list of restrictions are concerts, shows, performances, gigs, events and other activities that use of loud speakers. These activities will not be allowed along the solemn procession route and Sinulog parade route between 6 am to 8 pm on January 18 and between 12:01 am to 10 pm on January 19.
However, the executive order states that establishments within the procession and parade route may still conduct any of the activities beyond the prohibited period but only if they have a special permit issued by the Business Permit Licensing Office (BPLO).
Those interested in applying for the special permit must provide a security and safety plan, and an affidavit of undertaking to provide a fully-staffed medical triage that will function for the duration of the event and for four hours after.
“Crowd control is a very big issue for us now…we’re in an area where most people converge so we are very much preparing for everything,” the mayor said.
No liquor, street parties
In previous Sinulog celebrations, there were street parties along downtown Cebu and General Maxilom Avenue, congesting traffic and incidents like brawls and stampedes.
This year, Garcia’s executive order explicitly bans street parties from January 18 to 19 in any area within Cebu City.
“This is to ensure that public thoroughfares are free from any disruption and obstruction which may affect immediate emergency response or rescue operations and rendition of government service/s, and to ensure the maintenance of public security and safety for all,” the executive order read.
The sale, distribution, and consumption of alcoholic beverages are also not allowed along the processional route between 6 am to 8 pm on January 18 and within 300 meters of the Sinulog parade route between 12:01 am to 10 pm on January 19.
The exception, however, is that establishments outside of the processional and parade routes will be allowed to sell liquor provided that the sale and consumption of the beverages are kept within the their premises.
Additionally, the city government will also prohibit the use of glass bottles and other fragile containers. Garcia encouraged residents to just bring their own water containers like tumblers.
Mixed reactions
While some residents approve of the mayor’s ban on street parties, liquor, and entertainment activities during the Sinulog, other festival goers have mixed feelings about the policy.
John Librea, a third-year political science student from the Cebu Normal University, told Rappler on Tuesday, January 7, said that even with the ban, Cebuanos will still think of “creative ways” to bypass the restriction.
Librea said that this was not the first time that the city would implement restrictions. For him, the city government should allow street parties and lift the liquor ban, and instead shift its focus to achieving a solemn yet enjoyable celebration.
“If the city government takes actions that are not too hard to abide by, considering our culture and the way we usually celebrate, then they’ll also see a more managed crowd during the celebration,” the student said.
For Davao-born Velliza Mangubat, a retired government worker who co-manages a Sinulog-themed t-shirt store along Osmeña Boulevard, the ban is a good thing that will keep Cebuanos focused on the religious aspect of the celebration.
Mangubat still remembers the street parties from previous years and knows how rowdy locals can be during the festivities.
“Maayo nga gibawalan kay para hapsay. Ang Sinulog man gud para kay Jesus (It’s good that it’s banned so that it will be orderly. Sinulog is for Jesus),” Mangubat told Rappler.
If she had a choice, Mangubat said that she would rather have street parties with no liquor involved because for her, people should still be allowed to have fun yet still be sober enough to go to church. – with reports from Angel Faith Tirol/Rappler.com
Angel Faith Tirol is a Rappler intern from the Cebu Normal University in Cebu City