Frat allowed to take part in Sinulog mardi gras

CEBU CITY — The city government has decided to allow contingents of the Alpha Kappa Rho (Akrho) fraternity to participate in the various categories of the Grand Mardi Gras on Sunday, the culmination of the Sinulog celebration.

A specific area has been assigned to them along the carousel route upon the recommendation of city police chief Cecil Ezra Sandalo.

"Our policy is to be very positive. We’re not breaking up any group. We’re just trying to run after those who have committed a crime. We’re not operating against Akrho, for heaven’s sake," Mayor Tomas Osmeña said.

And since Akrho has contingents for the free interpretation, float, puppeteers and higante categories, Osmeña said there is no cogent reason for the fraternity to be barred from participating in the event, especially since its leaders have promised to follow the rules and guidelines laid down by the Sinulog Foundation Inc.

Aside from the 50 marshals of the group who will join the grand parade together with their contingents, the rest of the fraternity’s members will stay in front of Rustan’s Supermarket. This is the place where they requested to be situated and which the mayor has granted.

Richard Buscaino, Akrho regional president, said that aside from the 50 marshals that will be joining the parade, another 350 will be assigned to police their own members, in cooperation with the city policemen who will be assigned to them on Sunday.

Osmeña has given Akrho the privilege to choose the policemen who will be assigned to them so that "good chemistry" between them will be easily established.

This year, Buscaino said they are expecting some 4,000 Akrho members to join the celebration, or 1,000 more than last year’s.

Buscaino said they will hold a meeting tomorrow to brief their members on the policies and guidelines during the Sinulog celebration and the sanctions for members who violate them, especially the restriction on alcoholic beverages.

He said part of the discussion will be reminders to their members on acts of retaliation against members of their rival fraternity group, the Tau Gamma Phi, following the shooting incident in Barangay Duljo-Fatima last Monday.

Buscaino said he and some Tau Gamma Phi leaders have agreed to keep the peace covenant between the two groups intact. The pact was forged with Osmeña as witness.

"I think the two fraternities are making an effort. The problem is they have no control over their members because they don’t even know everybody so the chain of command is not very clear," Osmeña said. — Freeman News Service