Sinulog security

There is a public hearing today in City Hall on the matter of banning the sale of intoxicating drinks and the holding of raucous and rowdy activities within a certain distance of the Sinulog festivities. The public hearing was called by Mayor Tomas Osmeña whose patience has been tested by the escalating incidents of unruly and violent behavior during the festival.

It is good that the hearing was called early so that all inputs to the issue can be threshed out while there is still time as the mayor is truly bent on taking action against what is starting to badly and worrisomely characterize the Sinulog. But while the mayor is willing to listen to all the stakeholders, he must not stray from his original intention of restoring the Sinulog to the fun but safe and wholesome event that it used to be.

Aside from the Fiesta Señor itself, which is a religious observance, there is no other activity in Cebu’s yearly social and cultural calendar that can eclipse the massive drawing power of the Sinulog. It is Cebu’s single biggest attraction. As such, the Sinulog is good for Cebu and the Cebuanos in every sort of way. How sad therefore if the Cebuanos themselves cannot learn to preserve and protect it.

Drunkenness and violence are the two biggest threats to the Sinulog. Not even petty crimes can beat drunkenness and violence as spoilers of the celebration. If Cebu and the Cebuanos want to keep what amounts to a virtual golden egg in their lives, then they must agree with Osmeña that there is a need to keep the Sinulog the way it was meant to be.

What should emerge from today’s hearing, and in subsequent ones should some be warranted, is commitment and agreement to Osmeña’s plan. Because it is a good one. Only the kinks need to be ironed out, to be tweaked here and there if necessary. But the ban should be pursued. There should be no compromise on Osmeña’s original intent, only in the methodology, if at all.

It is better to slap the ban now while the bad side of the Sinulog has not had the time to take root and become the defining feature of the celebration. It is good to nip the bud early because the drunkenness, rowdiness and violence have all exhibited the unmistakable and very disturbing signs of further escalating from year to year.

To be sure, nobody wants a quiet and stale celebration. That is not why the Sinulog has become such a successful international attraction. But nobody wants to have a disaster and a tragedy either. And unfortunately these twin evils cannot be ruled out. But they can be greatly minimized by hewing to the original Osmeña plan of protecting the main Sinulog route from drinking and drunken behavior.

The plan, of course, is not to completely ban anything. There are many appropriate places, such as the SRP, where what may be disallowed in the main activity area can be given a semblance of free rein. But even at the SRP, there should be nowhere that things can descend into anything goes. We must all remember that these are no longer ordinary times. Safety and security must always be primary for everyone.