Barangay Basak San Nicolas Officials in Hot Water Over Sinulog Street Dance, Procession

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to cripple the economy and every Cebuano’s daily life, the government continuously pleads for all to strictly follow social distancing protocols to help contain the said disease.

Some officials of Barangay Basak San Nicolas however, will be issued a show-cause order by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to explain why the street dance and a procession were allowed to take place.

The said procession and street dance happened on Saturday, June 27, 2020.

“We will definitely get to the bottom of this. We have issued a show-cause order against the officials who are involved in this blatant violation of the ECQ currently being implemented in Cebu City,” said DILG Secretary Eduardo Año.

Any public gathering regardless of its purpose is strictly prohibited especially in Cebu City, where the place is currently under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).

Meanwhile, Basak San Nicolas Barangay Capitan Norman Navarro admitted that he made a mistake by approving the said procession. He said that he approved of it since it is a religious activity and nothing is wrong with it.

Navarro added that the street dance was never mentioned by the organizer.

Barangay Basak San Nicolas is part of the 12 barangays tagged as hotspots in Cebu City along with Sambag Dos, Kamputhaw, Sambag Uno, Mabolo, Guadalupe, Lahug, Duljo, Tinago, Tisa, Ermita, and Tejero.

As of June 29, Cebu City has a total of 5,141 COVID-19 cases with 169 total deaths making it the epicenter of the disease in the country. (MLC)