Rama invites Marcos to Sinulog Festival 2023
CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has disclosed that he invited President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to the physical celebration of the Sinulog 2023.
Rama said he is yet to receive a confirmation from the camp of Marcos, but he is hoping that the latter will attend the grand return of the physical Sinulog Festival.
The mayor and incoming president both met over dinner in Manila Tuesday night.
“Kanang commitment (to attend) unya na ta magstorya ana, but (incoming) First Lady Liza Marcos and the President, I had brought it to them,” said Rama.
To recall, Marcos got the majority of votes in Cebu City after it delivered 325,060 votes for him during the May 9, 2022 elections.
Even before the elections, Rama already announced his plan to hold the Sinulog 2023 at the South Road Properties (SRP).
He said he would want a larger venue for the final showdown of participating contingents. In years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ritual showdown had been held at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).
Due to the pandemic, only a virtual Sinulog was conducted in the last two years wherein previous performances of winners were shown and replayed online.
Rama made the pronouncement of having the Sinulog at the SRP following the UniTeam grand rally of Marcos and Vice President-elect Sara Duterte last April.
He said the area where the UniTeam grand rally was held, which was attended by around 300,000 Marcos-Duterte supporters based on police estimate, is vast enough to accommodate more individuals and the vendors could also have a spot there.
Sinulog is the annual cultural and religious celebration in honor of Señor Sto. Niño in Cebu City. It is held every third Sunday of January.
The festival has been celebrated for 42 years already. It has since evolved into the Philippines’s biggest event hosting millions for the series of activities commemorating the 16th century arrival of the Spanish fleet in Cebu and the first baptism on Philippine soil. — JMD (FREEMAN)
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