Rody, Leni invited to Sinulog big day

CEBU CITY – The city government has invited President Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo to the climax of the Sinulog festival on January 21.

City Councilor Dave Tumulak, who is also the executive committee chairman for Sinulog 2018, had said Malacañang had asked for details of the festival’s Grand Parade after receiving the invitation two weeks ago.

Tumulak said other prominent national political figures have also been invited to the celebration, saying “it would be an honor for us to celebrate the best festival with the country’s leaders.”

Less than three weeks before Sinulog, police in Central Visayas have drawn up security plans for the event.

Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, Police Regional Office (PRO) director, said more than 3,000 policemen will be fielded for the celebration.

Espino said the regional police will assign 1,900 officers from Siquijor and Bohol to Cebu to beef up the city’s 1,100 officers.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña had suggested asking the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to shut down cellular sites as part of security measures during the festival.

“All we can do is tell the people to be prepared to survive without the cell phone,” he said in an earlier statement.

Osmeña said the plan was considered to prevent cellphones from being used by terrorists to detonate explosives.

“I’m really terrified because the terrorists were badly hurt in Marawi and they have every motivation to retaliate,” Osmeña said, referencing the defeat of Islamist extremists who had laid siege on Marawi City.

Sinulog attracts more than two million people annually.

NTC approved the cut-off of network services in parts of the cities of Cebu and Mandaue for last year’s Sinulog festival, leaving people to communicate via landline phones and mobile applications that enabled chatting even without an internet connection.

NTC Central Visayas Director Jesus Laureno said all requests to shut down cellular sites from telecommunication companies will be handled by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The PNP has yet to decide whether to request the NTC to jam mobile phone signals during this year’s Sinulog.