CEBU, Philippines – The selling of firecrackers and balloons during “Traslacion” and foot and fluvial processions in Mandaue City on Friday and Saturday, respectively, will be strictly banned.
Police Chief Insp. Allan Cuizon, the deputy for operations of Mandaue City Police Office, said yesterday that firecrackers and balloons sold while the events are ongoing will be confiscated but returned after the activity.
He said the police will also prohibit the bringing of intoxicating drinks in the street, as well as the lighting of firecrackers and the flying of balloons so as not to spoil the solemnity of the processions.
Traslacion is the Catholic Church’s practice of taking the images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and of Sr. Sto. Niño from the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City to the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City, two days before the Sinulog Grand Parade.
The devotees will be given the chance to kiss the holy images during the vigil night before it will be brought back to the basilica the following day through a foot and fluvial procession.
Mario Advincula, the president of the Parish Pastoral Council, said the Misa de Traslacion at the basilica will start at 7 a.m. Then there will be a motorcade of the holy images to Mandaue City where basilica rector Fr. Jonas Mejares and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama will turnover the images to Msgr. Daniel Sanico and Mayor Jonas Cortes near Innodata in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City.
The images will be taken to the shrine via a 30 to 40-minute foot procession.
Masses at the shrine are scheduled at 12 noon, 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Advincula said no kissing of the holy images will be allowed during the mass schedules.
Kissing of the images will only be allowed after the masses and during vigil time which is only until 12 midnight. By midnight, the church will be closed to prepare for the 4 a.m. farewell mass of the holy images.
The foot and fluvial processions from the church up to Ouano wharf will follow as devotees send off the holy images back to Cebu City.
PAGASA Mactan director Oscar Tabada, who was also present during yesterday’s press conference, said the public should expect rains during the Traslacion this Friday and the foot and fluvial parade on Saturday because of a weather disturbance that may develop into tropical depression “Amang.”
Tabada, however, assured that Amang will only bring rains to Cebu because it will only affect the eastern parts of Luzon where it is expected to make landfall on Sunday.
He also assured that Cebu will have a fine weather during the Sinulog Grand Parade on Sunday.
Since there will be heavy rains during the fluvial parade, Tabada left it to Coast Guard whether to allow small motor bancas to join the fluvial parade, saying PAGASA is just a warning agency.