Rains fail to dampen spirits

CEBU, Philippines - Heavy rain yesterday dawn did not stop an estimated 40,000 devotees from sending off the pilgrim image of the Sr. Santo Niño and the Our Lady of Guadalupe from Mandaue City back to Cebu City.

Yesterday’s fluvial procession was kicked off by a 4 a.m. Mass at the National Shrine of St. Joseph celebrated by Msgr. Arturo Navales as main celebrant together with five other priests from different churches in Cebu.

The rain started during Navales’ homily but this did not stop attendees from accompanying the images when they were brought to the house of Ernesto Ouano Sr. whose family has a strong devotion to the Holy Child.

After the traditional brief visit to the Ouano residence both images were then carried to the yacht waiting in Ouano Wharf that would take them back to Cebu City via fluvial procession.

Mayor Jonas Cortes his wife Sarah Cortes were at hand to see the vessel depart.

Mandaue City Police Office deputy director for Administration Supt. Renato Dugan Jr. said yesterday's send-off was a big success with no untoward incidents.

The fluvial procession itself was described as a success, although a banca capsized off the coast of Ouano Wharf during the event.  

Commander Rolando Punzalan, chief of the Philippine Coast Guard Central Eastern Visayas District, said the banca’s passengers were quickly rescued after the mishap.

Punzalan failed to specify that exact time of the incident, but said that it happened during the critical first turn of the procession toward Lapu-Lapu City area.

The banca was being towed by a bigger motorized banca when the towrope snagged on one of the smaller banca’s outriggers and it overbalanced.

The six passengers were quick to jump off before the vessel overturned.

Nearby vessels were quick to offer aid to the victims while a Coast Guard rescue team towed the capsized vessel to shore. 

But when Coast Guard investigators went to check on the vessel for further investigation it was gone. Punzalan said the owner might have taken it already.

“It’s easy for them to leave because their banca was very small,” he said.  

In another incident a motorized banca carrying five passengers stalled due to engine trouble in the middle of the procession as it neared Cebu City.

However, a team from Coast Guard arrived and got the boat running after a few minutes.

In Pier 4 in Cebu City, 30 members of the local media were stranded after a tugboat that initially agreed to take them on failed to return.

They were later able to acquire the services of a cramped 10-seater pump boat. The procession was cut short after the vessel carrying the images no longer proceeded to the Pasil area and just docked in Pier 1 in Cebu City. 

While only 135 vessels registered for yesterday’s event, the Coast Guard recorded a total of 246 sea vessels joined in the activity, lesser compared to the more than 300 participants last year. As a sign of unity, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia joined the fluvial procession in the same yacht. On the side of their vessel the seal of Cebu City and the seal of Cebu Province were placed side-by-side.

After the vessel carrying the holy images docked in Pier 1, men dressed as conquistadores and natives carried the images in a short procession toward the Basilica del Santo Niño, as costumed performers from various schools and private groups danced.

Thousand of devotees, many of them carrying their own images of the Holy Child were already waiting at the Pilgrim’s Center of the basilica when the images arrived. — /BRP (FREEMAN)