Town in spotlight for capitol-backed Sinulog: It’s Carmen’s turn

CEBU, Philippines — It will be very big!

This is what Carmen Mayor Carlo Villamor replied when asked what the people could expect from the 50th Year Sinulog sa Carmen on Sunday.

Villamor said they expect the grandest Sinulog Festival ever with the support of the Cebu Provincial Government through Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

Yesterday, local officials and Carmenanons welcomed the more than 700 participants of the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Northern Escapade.

“This is not just suroy-suroy because today you are part of the history, you are witness of history because this Sunday will be the 50th anniversary of the Sinulog sa Carmen,” Villamor said in his welcome message.

Suroy-suroy participants got to experience dancing the Sinulog with candles in their hands during the finale of the Suroy-Suroy led by Garcia and other guests.

In 1973, or many years before the Sinulog was first held in Cebu City, the town of Carmen already held its own Sinulog Festival.

The event was spearheaded by Fr. Jose Motus from Kalibo, Aklan, who, with the help of Carmen residents, organized contingents for what was then called the Ati-Atihan sa Carmen but was then renamed to the Sinulog Festival the year after.

Villamor said the event started with a humble beginning in which prizes came from the proceeds of their caroling.

“Today, it has evolved to the biggest, one of the grandest festival in the Philippines because of the support of the governor,” he said.

The 10 contingents that missed the recent Sinulog Festival in Cebu City from the cities of Mandaue, Talisay, Naga, Carcar, and Toledo as well as the municipalities of Moalboal, Tuburan and Carmen will still have the chance to showcase their routines in Sinulog Festival Open Category of the Sinulog sa Carmen.

Sarok Festival from Consolacion town will also join as a guest performer, with Garcia as lead dancer. Lapu-Lapu City will also participate in the festival.

These contingents were supposed to compete in Cebu City’s Sinulog Festival but backed out three days before the actual event due to safety concerns at the South Road Properties (SRP), which hosted the festival for the first time.

Garcia told Mayor Michael Rama that the contingents from Cebu Province will only participate if the festival would be transferred to its usual venue at the Cebu City Sports Center.

Rama, however, stuck it out with the SRP venue.

Carmen Vice Mayor Martin Gerard Villamor thanked Garcia for prevailing in the Sinulog sa Carmen.

Same security measures

Also, there will be similar, or almost the same, security measures, to be implemented during the upcoming 50th Sinulog Festival celebration in Carmen town Northern Cebu, according to the police.

Police Brigadier General Jerry Fornaleza Bearis, Police Regional Office Central Visayas (PRO-7) director, made the statement during the One Cebu Island Sinulog 2023 at the South Road Properties (SRP) on Sunday, January 15.

On Sunday, about 6,000 personnel who came from different law enforcement agencies, aside from the police , were deployed in SRP to ensure the area's security.

These agencies were composed of the Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau Of Fire Office, Philippine Army, Philippine Navy, Air Force, Cebu City Traffic Office, and Cebu City Risk Reduction and Management Office, among others.

Also, there were police drones flown around the area to survey specifically the corners where lots of people gather or are congested, especially along the parade route.

Apart from that, the PRO-7 led by Bearis also conducted an aerial inspection.

The PRO-7 chief stated that he had already instructed Cebu Police Provincial Office Acting Provincial Director Police Colonel Rommel Ochave to lay down all planned security measures for the Sinulog sa Carmen venue.

But he clarified there might be additional augmentation that would depend on their assessment of the area.

"I have already instructed the Provincial Director of Cebu para ilatag na nya ang mga security preparations doon. Whatever security preparations na dapat naangkop doon will do it," said Bearis.

The Sinulog Festival in Carmen will be next Sunday, January 22.

A total of 22 contingents will be performing at the event.

Garcia took a glimpse of the venue of the Sinulog sa Carmen yesterday before proceeding to the next destination of the Suroy-Suroy which was Tabogon.

The first of the three-day Suroy-Suroy event started yesterday at the Capitol with the first stop being Consolacion, followed by Compostela, Carmen, Tabogon, Daanbanttayan and the trail ending in Medellin.

Among the guests are Department of Tourism Undersecretary Myrna Pas Valderoza-Abubakara, some DOT regional directors and tourism officers. — Robhe Jane C. Yara, JMD (FREEMAN)