Ben Madilynn
PREVENTIVELY suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has slammed Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia for his proposal to bring Sinulog 2025 back to the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).
In a press conference on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, Rama said Garcia should not inter-fere with activities related to the Sinulog celebration as these fall under the Sinulog Foundation Inc., of which Rama remains the chairman.
Rama’s pronouncement was in response to Garcia’s plan to start Sinulog 2025 preparations this September.
“Ayaw gyud na siya patuga-tugaha kay kanang Sinulog sa Foundation na. Member siya didto? Di ba wala. Kinsa may naa didto? Kinsa man ang chairman? Ako intawn. Kinsay presidente? Ricky Dakay (Don’t let him dare because Sinulog belongs to the Foundation. Is he even a member there? He isn’t. Who is in it? Who is the chairman? Me. Who is the president?
Ricky Dakay),”Rama said. Rama maintained that the CCSC is no longer adequate to accommodate a large number of spectators during the Sinulog festival compared to the South Road Properties (SRP).
Garcia, on Aug. 21, announced that he was eyeing to hold the Sinulog festival again at the CCSC in the uptown area due to numerous complaints from organizers, participating dancers and spectators during the staging of the event at the open spaces of the SRP for two straight years.
Rama earlier said he will hold the Sinulog grand festival for the third time at the SRP next year.
According to police estimates, Sinulog 2024 gathered around three million attendees.
Earlier, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, the acting mayor’s aunt, pledged full support for Cebu City’s 2025 Sinulog Festival, if the grandest event returned to the CCSC.
“Nganong mag-apil apil man na sila, mag-hawod na sad ang gobernador or mag-hawod na sad si Michael Dino (Why are they interfering? The governor wants to lord it over and so with Michael Dino) … Enough is enough,” said Rama.
Crowd Control
Rama recalled an incident during the “Arat Na Cebu” free concert back in March 2022, where there were reports of a stampede and “defiance of health protocols” as thousands of spectators pushed their way into the CCSC.
Rama said the reports then prompted him to manage the ingress and egress of the crowd at the CCSC to prevent further injuries or casualties.
The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) reported at least 21 people were hurt, fainted or had difficulty breathing during the fully-packed concert that featured Manila-based bands and local celebrities.
Rama said former presidential assistant for the Visayas businessman Michael Dino who organized the event was not even seen at the venue.
“That’s because they think it’s easy to organize events and to man them. I am telling you that if you are not a quick thinker, it can result to deaths,” Rama said in Cebuano.
Return to CCSC
The acting mayor had earlier said the planning stage for Sinulog 2025 will run from September to November until Rama returns from his preventive suspension.
“We’ll present the plan. If he decides to change it, there’s not much I can do since I won’t be the mayor anymore, but at least I have made my plans for Sinulog,” Garcia said.
Acting Mayor Garcia argued that the sports center is the ideal venue for next year’s Sinulog, especially after it underwent renovations for the Palarong Pambansa which Cebu City hosted last July. He cited the new LED screens of the CCSC and upgraded electrical wiring. (EHP)
