Cebu Capitol Gives PHP3M Financial Assistance to Sinulog

The Cebu provincial government has given a PHP3-million financial assistance to the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI), the organizers of the annual Sinulog Festival set this year on Jan. 15, an official said.

Cebu provincial treasurer Emmanuel Guial said the monetary assistance the provincial government extended to SFI was taken from the 2016 budget of the provincial government.

Guial said the provincial government forwarded the financial assistance to the SFI on December last year, after receiving the foundation’s request.

Guial said the SFI may avail itself of future financial assistance for the Sinulog, but it has to liquidate the expenses charged to the previous financial assistance.

As this developed, Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III said big events that attract visitors such as the Sinulog Festival are always a concern when it comes to security.

Davide urged everyone to be always watchful and vigilant.

Davide also said he was not completely amenable to the plans of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña to shut off communication signals at the grandstand during the festivities for security reasons.

“Communication is very important, especially for security. Communication is critical, especially in our law enforcement groups – the police, the military, even the government office, government officials who are involved in the preparations for the festivities,” Davide said.

Osmeña’s plan came in light of heightened security for this year’s Sinulog festivities after the recent bombing through an improvised explosive device (IED) in Hilongos, Leyte, while the town was celebrating its fiesta.

Many IEDs are activated through the use of mobile phones. (PNA)JMC/EB/MEC