CEBU, Philippines - After being elected as chairman of the Sinulog Foundation Inc. yesterday, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he is more focused on “downsizing” the Grand Parade, the culminating activity of the annual event.
“We are trying to shorten the Sinulog so that by 4:30 in the afternoon, we will end it. No more fireworks. Shorten the activity,” he said.
This would also mean chaos during post-Sinulog parties can be prevented.
“Now, kon it goes out in the night, mogawas gyud ang mga palahubog, adis-adis, so we have to cut it down…. there will be less number of contingents,” he added.
Barangays in the city can join the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan (city) since schools will no longer be allowed to join.
“No more grade schools, Cebu City schools, and I’m warning the barangays. I allowed the barangays to participate but if the barangays start using the schools, they will not be allowed to join,” Osmeña told reporters yesterday.
Osmeña earlier expressed concern that practices for the Sinulog can disrupt classes and that schools are spending as much as P15 million for the competition.
He said education is his priority for the students.
As far as the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan (province) is concerned, Osmeña said the decision lies with Governor Hilario Davide III.
Yesterday, members of SFI went to City Hall around noon and elected Osmeña as new chairman, something that former mayor Michael Rama, SFI’s chair for the past 15 years, was not informed about.
Rama
Rama said he will not recognize Osmeña as chairman of the board.
“I didn’t know that meeting. I was not being invited to that meeting,” he said.
He said members of the foundation should have had the “decency” to invite him considering the length of time he has sat as chair.
He said he called for a meeting around August and September but members of the SFI Board allegedly ignored his calls.
“I just want to be very emphatic about this ha… dili ko mahangol sa chairmanship, but they should have been decent enough to inform me of the meeting,” Rama said.
He said he paid P10,000 as membership fee in 2001, the first year he was elected as chairman of the board. (FREEMAN)