Sinulog 2026 kicks off

CEBU, Philippines —Sinulog 2026, dubbed as the grandest festival in the Philippines, officially kicked-off during its Opening Salvo held yesterday, January 9, with the festival organization debunking misconception against patronization of online gambling amid the religious celebration.

The launching began with the 2:30 p.m. mass at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu on the second day novena sponsored by the local government of Cebu City and attended by Mayor Nestor Archival, Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña, Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) heads, councilors, and other city officials.

Reverend Msgr. Agustin V. Ancajas presided over the Mass and shared in his homily that trusting and having faith in the Holy Child will guarantee that everything is under His divine love and care.

"Ang atong pagsalig sa atong pinangga Señor Santo Niño muhatag kanato og assurance nga everything will be under his control,” said Ancajas.

Following the mass, Archival made the official declaration of the opening of the Sinulog 2026, along with the release of white doves and a brief Traditional Religious Sinulog, drawing devotees to shout in joy: “Pit Senyor!”

Afterwards, at least 17 contingents---with members dressed in native colorful outfits---from various schools, colleges, and universities filled the streets of Osmeña Boulevard as they danced with the Holy Child image in their hands to the vibrant and festive Sinulog signature beats of Sinulog during a parade from the Basilica to the Cebu City Sports Center, where the ceremony was continuously held.

From there, all the contingents jointly danced a sequel of last year’s performance centered on the rich and deeply-rooted history of the discovery of the Holy Image of Señor Santo Niño.

SFI Executive Director Elmer “Jojo” Labella shared that the storyline was meticulously incorporated on how the Miraculous Holy Child eventually became a long-lasting icon of devotion to the Child Jesus in Cebu and in the whole country.

“This is now a very good sequel of last year’s presentation, of which the storyline is about how the Santo Niño came to Cebu and how it was venerated. Now, this is the sequel, which was the finding of the Image when the Spanish  (Spaniards) came back through Miguel Lopez de Legazpi—the reestablishment of Christianity in the Philippines,” Labella told reporters.

He also remarked that the “grandiose” opening salvo commenced smoothly and successfully.

When asked on the matter of the patronage allegations patronizing online gambling with the established partnership with BingoPlus, a renowned online gambling platform, Labella refuted such misconceptions.

He said the organization had initially rejected proposals tied to online gambling despite financial challenges.

“There were really offers and we were badly in need of funds, but our president not only he decided no, but he also asked the wisdom of the friars that even though how much we need, we say no to online gambling,” Labella said.

However, he said that while SFI strongly denounces all forms of online gambling, the organization collaborated with BingoPlus only as a co-presenter, a decision weighed on the company’s significant contributions to the charity works with the church and not as an endorsement of its online gambling activities.

“But we have this conception actually that bingo game is also a part of some fundraising activities of the church. We are actually working hard that we will not have this impression that we are patronizing gambling, online gambling especially,” he added. (CEBU NEWS)