Two different crowds
The recent Sinulog celebration has shown two opposite crowds. Drawn together for a shared purpose, a certain crowd has overt and implicit aims that other groups would regard or perceive otherwise.
Sunday, January 15, 2016, the major streets of Cebu City were peppered with people as if wherever you go, people stayed on the streets thinking that at least for that day, only a few were left at home. This is the only day of the entire year that we can see enormous number of people occupying the busy streets.
For one at the Basilica del Santo Niño, there were instances when the faithful pushed each other just to get inside the Basilica. While inside, looking down, one can see sea of people while the streets outside the church were already occupied by equally huge number of devotees. But no major untoward incidents happened. As devotees believe that such inconveniences are anchored on one's strong faith to the miraculous child Jesus, even one can feel a push from fellow devotees; this is just considered a sacrifice. A more patient and considerate self was a common attitude shown by this set of crowd.
But there's another crowd that seemed to have another motivation. Sinulog has been taken as a celebration to show a different face. I would like to highlight a place that was reported swarmed by rowdy and uncontrollable crowd. To maintain safety and security, we know that there were back up police personnel from other headquarters, and even from other neighboring provinces. But of course their number as opposed to the crowd is beyond compare. There were reported incidents of spraying, smashing of ambulances, and a brawl which involved innocent resident and young revelers who were under the influence of liquor.
Carlo Borromeo was mauled just in front of his house by five unidentified men when he and his wife were about to drive out from their residence and just wanted those men to stop from banging their car. In the end, he sustained bruises in different parts of his body and suffered a fracture in the nose and the right side of his face.
This despite an earlier announcement that there will be no street parties along the street dancing routes. And when a high ranking police officer was asked if these incidents can be avoided, he conveniently said no as this is already part of the tradition. But this kind of practice has reached out of bounds, violating acceptable behavior. When can we really say enough is enough? Is Sinulog deficient without these incidents in our streets?
Needless to say, first and foremost, Sinulog is a religious celebration. But sadly that through the years, commercialism has crept into it as if it would never be complete without the festive celebration on the streets.
This is where reassessment of our motivation for the celebration comes in. The interplay of religiosity and commercialism, that is brought about by the media hype, and is drawing such a huge crowd, is not supposed to be taken in a negative light but when it is compromising the safety of the people and the later overlaps the former, it is taking the wrong way.
Year after year, it is the same old lesson that seems difficult to learn? There is still a long way to go in terms of reorienting and redefining our people's regard to this religious celebration.
Depressing to note that one has to cross an island just to be in Cebu for the Sinulog and when asked what specifically drives him for his coming? Street party.
We are born in dissimilar generations. But I just hope that this present generation could find time to highlight and regard the very essence of Sinulog and can still fulfill what secular yearnings they have-with utmost sense of responsibility.
- Latest
