Street dancing to start mid-afternoon

CEBU, Philippines —  Unlike the previous years, the 2024 staging of the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan will kick off around mid-afternoon on Jan. 14 in front of the Cebu Provincial Capitol building.

According to Sugbo News, Cebu Province s official news network, this is for the dancers of the 18 participating contingents to be spared of the scorching heat of the sun.

As announced, the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan has 16 participating contingents from Cebu towns and cities, with guest contingents Tribu Lumad Basakanon doing the opening act and Minglanilla town giving the closing act with no less than Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.

From the Capitol, the contingents will dance their way to the venue by occupying the Osme a Boulevard lanes going downtown, passing through the Fuente Osme a rotunda until they reach the Cebu City Sports Center for their final showdown.

City Councilor Rey Gealon, Cebu City Traffic Management Coordination Council (TMCC) chairman, said that starting at noontime, the downtown-bound lanes from the Capitol to CCSC will be closed to traffic for the street dancing competition.

He said this is to  give way for the preparation of the contingents along the Sinulog route leading to the grand showdown at the Sports Center .

The other lanes, the ones going to Escario Street, on the other hand, will remain open to vehicles.

Gealon said the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan route has already been  approved in principle .

We will formally approve it on Tuesday at the TMCC meeting,  he said.

Gealon said Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) personnel will be in  full force  to ensure that the public are inconvenienced as little as possible.

The final showdown of the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan is estimated to begin at 6 p.m.

Gealon said details, such as on CCSC gate passes, are expected to be ironed out within the week, as the governor wants that the event be free for everyone while Mayor Michael Rama, fearing a stampede, wants to impose a fee.

Rama, though, said that it is the Sinulog Foundation Inc. that would have a final say on the matter.

Meanwhile, in an advisory yesterday, the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) announced that it would introduce a traffic scheme that aims to improve the traffic situation along Governor Cuenco Avenue starting today, Jan. 8

CCTO said it would impose an  assisted or regulated left turn  in all driveways of business establishments and residential areas  to maintain the traffic flow said area without compromising the economic viability .

As such and in promoting shared responsibility, all private driveways must be equipped with 24-hour traffic marshals (CCTO deputized agents) to assist and manage all incoming and outgoing vehicles maneuvering a left turn to and from Gov. Cuenco Avenue,  read the advisory signed by CCTO Head Raquel Arce.

The advisory also stated that at 5 a.m. today, all  No Left Turn  signages installed along the Gov. Cuenco Ave. will be removed for the above purpose.

Monitoring and assessment will be conducted within 15 days from January 8, 2024 in order to establish a traffic scheme in the Banilad corridor,  it added.

Also, Gealon said that he would request the City Council s approval for it to request Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC),  or companies with similar expertise , to conduct a feasibility study on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to manage vehicular traffic in Cebu City.

He said that while efforts are underway to address the traffic situation in the city, there are still ways that can be imposed towards its improvement.

Al has been used in traffic management and is  poised to reshape urban transportation it is used to analyze real-time traffic data and in turn, allows the government to make informed decisions to improve the flow of traffic,  read Gealon s proposed resolution.

He also said that AI can be utilized to create a mobile application that can be used to access transport information and for a  centralized system for fare collection launching a digital platform to dispense cashless payments and variable message signage to access traffic information .

AI, he added, can allow for efficient dispatch of public transport while supporting transport operators in complying with the modernization program.

Gealon further said that cashless payments for traffic violation tickets and the implementation of towing fees can also be accessed through the mobile application, all because of AI. (CEBU NEWS)