Cebu City limits crowd during Fiesta Señor celebration

DEVOTION Throngs of devotees wave their hands in the air in unison as they sing “Bato-Balani sa Gugma” (Magnet of love), an ancient hymn in honor of the Sto. Niño, during the Mass in honor of the Child Jesus at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño’s Pilgrim Center in this photo taken on Jan. 21, 2018. —ADOR VINCENTMAYOL

CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — To help check the spread of the new coronavirus disease, Mayor Edgardo Labella will require quarantine pass for those who are leaving their homes, effectively limiting the number of devotees at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu during the weeklong Fiesta Señor celebration starting on Friday.

Past stagings of the Fiesta Señor, the religious aspect of the Sinulog Festival that culminates every third Sunday of January, the Feast of the Child Jesus, had drawn thousands of Sto. Niño and Marian devotees from around the world.

The crowds had been even bigger than those taking part in the Sinulog grand parade, the secular highlight of the celebration.

All throughout the week, thousands of devotees would attend Masses at the basilica and join dawn and evening processions along the city’s main streets, including the transfer of the image of the Sto. Niño from the basilica to parish churches in Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu cites, and the dawn fluvial rite on the eve of the feast.

‘Not in ordinary times’

The image is brought back to the basilica in a boat decked like a Spanish-era galleon through the Mactan Channel and escorted by dozens of other vessels.

This year, a lean crowd of pilgrims is expected, with travel restrictions and limited movement within the city. Labella said only those with quarantine passes with quick response codes issued by the city government would be allowed to go out of their homes from Jan. 8 to Jan. 17. People who are 15 years old and below, and those 65 and above shall remain indoors, he added.

“I know the Sto. Niño will understand [my decision] because we are not in ordinary times,” he said.

The last time Labella suspended the use of quarantine passes was during the nine-day “Misa de Gallo” and “Simbang Gabi” leading to Christmas Day in December last year.
During the first two days of the dawn Masses, throngs of people gathered outside the churches and did not observe physical distancing.

“I hope there will be no repetition of that same experience because it’s alarming and worrisome,” Labella said.

Variant

The mayor said law enforcement units would strictly impose the health measures, such as wearing masks and face shields, and physical distancing. He said the public should remember the existence of a new coronavirus variant that was reportedly 70-percent more transmissible.

“The virus is still very much alive. That is why I urge everyone to follow the health protocols to avoid the spread of the virus. Let us not be complacent,” Labella said. Quarantine violators will face a fine of P500 for the first offense, P1,000 for the second, and P3,000 or 30 days imprisonment for the third, depending on the discretion of the court.

Cebu City was once considered the second epicenter of COVID-19 in the country after Metro Manila due to a surge in cases last June. Three months after, the city was placed under modified general community quarantine, the most relaxed quarantine classification in the country.

—Ador Vincent Mayol