Lapu bares plan for Sto. Niño fluvial procession

Devotees who will attend the mass in Lapu-Lapu City before the seaborne procession of the Señor Sto. Niño on Jan. 20 can get inside the church, but those who can no longer be accommodated will have to stay outside.

Churchgoers are advised that no one is allowed to stand on the sides of the benches inside the Nuestra Señora Virgen dela Regla (NSVDR) National Shrine if these are already filled.

Father Bernard Corpuz, parish priest, said that the devotees will have to stay outside the church where chairs will be placed.

Corpuz said that the City Government will put up three big screens in the city auditorium, Plaza Rizal and on B. M. Dimataga St. for the other churchgoers who can no longer be accommodated inside the church. These areas are adjacent to the NSVDR.

The shrine will be opened to the public at 2 a.m.

During the coordination meeting with the different sectors for the fluvial procession yesterday, Corpuz said devotees can only enter the church gate on the B.M. Dimataga St.

Only the vehicles carrying the images of the Sto. Niño, Our Lady of Guadalupe and the rest of the convoy will be allowed to enter the church’s main entrance

“Once the (religious) icons leave the church, we will open the gates,” he said.

A dry run of the motorcade from the foot of the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge to the NSVDR up to the Naval Base Rafael Ramos will be held at 3 a.m. on Jan. 16.

The City and other stakeholders have been conducting intensive preparations for the event as it will be the first time for LapuLapu to be the starting point of the seaborne procession. /