Sinulog Festival

CEBU CITY, Philippines - First-time visitors and long-time attendees coped with the large crowds in their own ways.

A government lawyer from Manila had to climb the metal railings of the street to escape being crushed.

In contrast, 62-year-old Antonio Mosquero sat comfortably on the roadside in front of the cordoned area. With an air of calm, he watched the parade pass by while youngsters pushed and shoved to get a better view.

* * *

The crowd was manageable at first.

Then the thousands of spectators lining Osmeña Boulevard all the way to the Cebu City Sports Center swelled until the police and military personnel were almost overwhelmed. An overflow of spectators broke into the cordoned area of the parade. This caused congestion in areas like Fuente Osmeña.

At General Maxilom Avenue, some people shouted “stampede!” after they were pressed and pushed back by fellow bystanders. The arrival of movie stars and public officials complicated security arrangements.

* * *

All the eggs offered to Carmelite nuns and prayers dedicated for good weather paid off.

It was overcast skies for the most part of the parade, shielding performers, mostly young students, from intense heat. A slight drizzle failed to dampen the spirits of spectators and contingents. Some contingents from Alcoy and Cebu City had to dance below on the rubberized track to avoid slipping on the wet surface of the stage in the Cebu City Sports Center.

* * *

No politicians were allowed to make speeches, but they maximized exposure by working the crowd and staying highly visible.

Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Juan Miguel Zubiri and Francis Pangilinan went around the parade route. Senators Manuel Villar and Francis Escudero stayed at the VIP area of the grandstand to watch the program with Presidential Management Staff Secretary Cerge Remonde and Cebu lawmakers. Representative Raul Del Mar watched from the grandstand as his daughter, Cutie, performed alongside Miss Earth Karla Paula Henry in the grand finale.

Jona Jon Rodriguez, who is persona non grata in Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s household, was escorted out of the grandstand. He was wearing a VIP ID–pass with the name of former mayor Alvin Garcia. Rodriguez, an aide of Garcia, was previously convicted of sending malicious text messages to the cellphone of the mayor’s wife. /Reporter Cris Evert B. Lato, Marian Codilla and Doris C. Bongcac and Correspondents Jhunnex Napallacan, Iste Sesante Leopoldo and Jully Venus Cuizon