City allocates P500T for "Devotee City"

CEBU - With barely three months to go before the Sinulog, the Cebu City government has appropriated P500,000 for the establishment of a “Devotee City” at the Plaza Independencia where visitors and devotees can stay during the festivities.

Councilor Edwin Jagmoc, who is in charge of the Devotee City, said the amount would be spent for the purchase of the needed supplies, construction materials, food and medicines for the construction and operation of the devotee city, adding the budget was already approved by Mayor Tomas Osmeña before he left for abroad last month

Jagmoc’s proposed resolution for the appropriation of the budget was also approved by the Cebu City Council during its regular session recently.

Of the amount, Jagmoc explained P260,000 will be used for the food of about 100 city government employees and other volunteers who will work for one week to establish the devotee city.

The city will also spend about P85,000 for the purchase of construction materials, such as plywood, to be used to secure the devotees from possible intruders and another P30,000 for the purchase of medicine, including vitamins, for the devotees in case they need them.

To make it easy to identify the personnel and other volunteers who will be assigned at the devotee city, the city government has also allocated P45,000 for the purchase of T-shirts as their uniforms and another P40,000 for the laminated identification cards and other office supplies.

The devotee city is made of container vans to be borrowed from Aboitiz Shipping Company, but the city would still spend P40,000 to transport them from the shipping company’s container yard to Plaza Independencia and, to return them after the operation.

“Tinuig na nato kini nga tulomanon sa dakbayan sa Sugbo nga pagtabang sa mga debotos ni Senyor Santo Niño nga taga lagyo nga wala g’yoy kaabtan dinhi sa ato,” said Jagmoc.

Those who wish to stay at the devotee city are required to present their ship or bus tickets together with their identification cards to prove that they really come from the other places.

Police officers and other crime-watch volunteers will be also detailed at the Devotee City to ensure the safety of its occupants. — Rene U. Borromeo/WAB (THE FREEMAN)