Devotee City opens today

The Devotee City is now open for pilgrims who do not have a place to stay in Cebu City during the Fiesta Senyor.

Mayor Edgardo Labella led the city officials in the launching of the Devotee City yesterday. Located in an open space near the Compaña Maritima Building, the Devotee City can accommodate at least 2,500 individuals.

Councilor Phillip Zafra, chairman of Devotee City, said that they will start accommodating devotees today.

“We are expecting more or less, 2,500 devotees. Mag sugod ta sa registration tomorrow (today), ato giprioritize ang mga devotees didto sa south, beyond

Carcar, they have to present their bus tickets and boat tickets,” said Zafra.

The devotees will go through profiling during registration and will be given identification cards which they will be required to wear the whole duration of their stay for security purposes.

“We will make this Sinulog Festival very successful, kibaw mo daghan kaayo ta bag-o nga mga participants,” said Labella.

Labella said that aside from the new contingents, some of the best contingents in the past Sinulogs are also joining this year's grand parade.

“The President is coming, beyond my expectations nitubag atong pinalanggang presidente na mu-anhi, mutan-aw, mu-attend siya sa grand parade sa Sinulog, it's going to be a security challenge sa ato. But the presence of the president will add more meaning, substance and significance to the occasion,” said Labella.

”So kanatong tanan, we hope that the success of the Sinulog is on-hand safe, secure to all of us, and of course to our pilgrims, to our devotees,” he added.

Devotee City is an annual joint project of the city and provincial governments of Cebu. For this year, the city has allocated P1.7 million for the project, including the rentals of the container vans that are used as temporary shelter.

Zafra said that there are 80 container vans available this year. Each van has a capacity of 30 people. Each van will have a portalet.

“Ato sila hatagan og responsibilidad na sila mutabang gyud sa paglimpyo sa mga portalets. Naa pud ta mga house rules na ato gi poste sa mga vans. Unya naa pud ta mga house parents,” said Zafra.

The city government is renting each van at P2,000 from 2GO.