CEBU, Philippines - More devotees and spectators attended the annual celebration of the Sugat sa Minglanilla, which is one of the highlights of the town’s Kabanhawan Festival.
In Barangay Guadalupe organizers also said their presentation went well.
The portrayal of the resurrection of Christ in Minglanilla has been widely supported by the public for years due to its grand presentation.
The event started with a Mass at around 2 a.m. in the town’s sports complex in Barangay Poblacion Ward I.
It was followed by the reenactment of the Sugat wherein a battle between good and evil was portrayed. Children dressed in angel costumes were strung up in the air in harnesses and one of them did the traditional unveiling of Mother Mary.
Just like in the previous years, the public flocked the carriages used in the portrayal of the Sugat which were colorfully adorned with flowers.
After the solemn event, the official start of the Kabanhawan Festival kicked off with various activities and street dancing.
With the large crowd, security was the top priority said Chief Insp. Jovito Canlapan, chief of the Minglanilla police.
He also said that nothing untoward happened except for a reported theft of a cellular phone from a motorcycle parked outside the sports complex.
Two teams from the Regional Mobile Group and 35 policemen were also deployed by the provincial headquarters to secure the area.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-K9 unit and the Traffic Management Group were also deployed to the area to help with the security and assure the smooth flow of traffic, respectively.
Meanwhile, organizers of the first-ever grand presentation of the Sugat in the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish said their presentation went off without a hitch.
Betsy Gabutin, the Parish Pastoral Council secretary and chairwoman fo the “Sugat sa Guadalupe” said that they were pleased with not just the presentation but also the turnout as well.
She said that they estimated the crowd to have reached more than 5,000, which was more than what they expected.
Gabutin said that they were happy to see not just adults and senior citizens in the crowd but also the kids and the young generation whom they had hoped would take interest.
The tradition portrayal of the Sugat sa Guadalupe started at 11 p.m. and the drama which they prepared for more than a month started at 2 a.m. the following morning. A Mass celebrated my Msgr. Jose Montecillo followed afterwards.
All the activities were done on a huge stage constructed by the parish particularly for the Sugat. Instead of just the traditional portrayal of the Sugat, modern societal issues played out.
Gabutin said that following the success and the positive feedback they had from the people, they hope to continue it in the coming years.
The grand presentation of the Sugat in Guadalupe this year was directed by Aljin Abaquita. It is also a fund-raising event, the proceeds of which will go to the projects of the parish. — AJ de la Torre and Brenda Batuto of Banat News (THE FREEMAN)