Tuesday, January 18, 2005
‘Better lodging next year’

CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña promised out-of-town contingents better accommodations next year. This, after two contingents complained they were made to leave Abellana National School early yesterday morning.

Ricky Ballesteros, Sinu-log Foundation Inc. executive director, said the contingents from Camiguin and Placer complained to him that the school principal made them leave the school premises.

“I was embarrassed and upset because we had difficulty in inviting these two contingents to join. Placer was not supposed to participate but in the end we were able to convince them, unya ato lang papahawaon?” Ballesteros told Sun.Star.

Osmeña admitted yesterday that accommodation is one thing that needs improvement in the Sinulog, which cost the City some P14 million this year.

The Sinulog Foundation had to provide the Tribu Placernon a city tour yesterday since they no longer had a place to stay in.

Camiguin, on the other hand, had no choice but to stay at the Cebu City Sports Center gym.

Ballesteros said that both contingents had not had breakfast yet when they were asked to leave the school.

Abellana National School Principal Cipriano Balili could not be reached for comment yesterday, but City Schools Superintendent Leonilo Oliva said the contingents had to leave to avoid disrupting classes.

“I hope they will also understand because we don’t want to cause any disruption in the classrooms. If we cancel classes, we will have to hold make-up classes and malangan na mi (we’d be delayed in our school schedule),” he said in a phone interview.

In a news conference yesterday, Osmeña said that to address the accommodation problem, he plans to convert some barangay or school gymnasiums into temporary quarters for the contingents.

Osmeña also plans to consult the public on some improvements he plans to carry out in next year’s celebration.

Among other things, he wants to ban cars from entering all city streets during the Saturday solemn procession and the Sunday grand parade.

The mayor will also prohibit the holding of concerts at the Capitol area after he got stranded in the traffic there Sunday night.

The Sinulog, he said, was excellent but so much more still needs to be improved to continue to make it a popular event, nationally and internationally.

“I want Sinulog to be popular even internationally because it upstages Manila. This is one area where Manila can’t compete with us and where we are upstaging them so we have to exploit it to the fullest. We have the experience, good will and a following and that’s tested,” he said.

Osmeña added he wants everybody to think of Sinulog when they hear the name Cebu City.

Although he has severed all ties between the Sinulog and the Department of Education, Osmeña said he might pick students with good performance to participate in the Sinulog grand parade. (LCR)

home main page top