Sinulog contingents on a decline

CEBU, Philippines —  For the past four years, there has been a noticeable decrease in the number of contingents participating in the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan.

In 2016 and 2017, nine contingents joined in both the elementary and secondary divisions of the competition.

In 2018, the Sinulog Foundation Inc. decided to merge the participating contingents of the elementary and secondary divisions since there were only seven contingents for both categories.

For this year, only five contingents are vying for the trophy of Sinulog sa Lalawigan Best in Ritual Showdown.

Despite this decrease in participation, Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak said there is nothing to worry about since it is expected that more towns and cities will bounce back for the 40th Sinulog celebration next year.

“Wala ta maguol sa number of contingents. Ato gyud ‘ning ipadayon kay para makapadayon og showcase ang mga municipalities ug siyudad sa probinsya sa Sugbo sa ilang lugar,” he said.

Tumulak, chairman of the SFI Executive Committee, said the organizers actually anticipated there will be fewer contingents this year because of inflation and because it is an election season.

As long as there are contingents, Tumulak said there is no need to cancel the competition since it is an avenue for the municipalities and cities in Cebu Province to showcase their places in one of the biggest festivals in the country.

Tumulak also said some chief executives of the different towns and cities in Cebu Province actually said they wanted to join this year’s competition but they are constrained by budget limitations.

“Mapasalamaton kaayo ta atong lima ka contingents karong tuiga nga bisan og mahal na ang palitonon, nakapangita g’yud sila og paagi nga ipadayon ilang debosyon sa Balaan nga Bata,” he said.

The participating contingents come from the cities of Carcar, Talisay, and Bogo, and towns of Ginatilan and Consolacion.

When asked if there is a need to increase the P400,000 subsidy to each of the participating contingents, Tumulak said it should not happen soon as the city government just increased the subsidy from P200,000 to P300,000 and now to P400,000.

“It’s up to them nga moapil nila basta padayon nga mohatag ang siyudad nga mohatag og subsidy nga dako na kaayo og matabang sa ilang pag-form og contingent,” he said, adding that the other festivals only provide a P100,000 subsidy to their contingents.

Even with the decreasing number of contingents, Tumulak said the SFI and the Cebu City government will continue to hold Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan every year. — BRP (FREEMAN)