A Decade Away from the Sinulog Crowds: A Personal Reflection
It has been ten long years since I last experienced the Sinulog festival in person at the main venue. For an entire decade, I have missed the thrill of jostling with the vibrant crowds along the parade route or straining my neck over shoulders at the grandstand to catch a better glimpse of the dazzling contingents, their radiant costumes, and intricate dance movements.
Like countless other residents of Cebu City, I now spend Sinulog Sundays comfortably at home, tuning into the live television broadcast. Even through the screen, after more than forty seasons of this cherished repetition, the Philippines' most beloved cultural spectacle never fails to captivate and entertain.
The Trade-Off: Comfort vs. Exhilaration
I must admit, I would much rather be immersed in the heart of the action. It parallels watching a basketball game: while viewing from the cozy confines of your bedroom is undeniably relaxing, nothing compares to the raw exhilaration of being inside the coliseum, witnessing players clash and feeling the crowd's thunderous roar.
However, when you reach your mid-seventies and have faced two serious health scares, your choices become significantly limited. Moreover, there is a certain satisfaction in knowing that by staying home, you are contributing in a small way to making the Sinulog more enjoyable for visitors. By not competing for that precious sliver of space along the parade route or in the bleachers, you help ensure others have a better experience.
The Essence of Sinulog: Shared Sacrifice and Community Spirit
This is our Sinulog. We are all called upon to give something of ourselves, to make a little sacrifice, to ensure the festival remains attractive and enjoyable for our guests. This collective spirit is why we endure the typically unbearable traffic with patience. It is why many of us choose to walk to our workplaces on Sinulog Sunday instead of driving or taking a car.
My daughter-in-law, Ethel, exemplified this perfectly. She walked from Tormis Street to Cebu Doctors Hospital and back to attend to a patient requiring urgent medical care. At that time, Osmeña Boulevard, including the bustling Fuente Osmeña area, was overflowing with people, yet she did not utter a single complaint. She understood deeply: this is our Sinulog.
A Blemish on the Festival: The Parking Dispute Escalation
Given this backdrop of communal sacrifice, it is profoundly disheartening to witness how a simple vehicle clamping incident near the Basilica—the very heart of the Sinulog's religious observance—could rapidly escalate into a bitter public feud between a city councilor and the city's top traffic official, just days before the grand celebration.
Based on reports, the conflict ignited when traffic enforcers clamped two vehicles parked in a clearly marked no-parking zone. Unbeknownst to the enforcers, these cars belonged to two esteemed members of the Cebu City Council.
While the councilors themselves reportedly did not protest, a fellow councilor intervened vehemently. He argued that the vice mayor had advised the councilors they could park there since their regular exclusive spots were unavailable. How dare the enforcers defy the vice mayor's directive? He labeled it insolence. When the traffic head responded, a full-blown word war erupted.
Questioning Privilege: A Matter of Public Service Principle
Let us be perfectly clear. The vehicles were parked in a no-parking zone. If an ordinary citizen's multicab had been found in that same spot, it would have been clamped without question, and the driver would have had little recourse to complain.
Why should it be any different for high-ranking public officials? Public officials should not claim, nor be granted, exclusive rights to use public property simply because of their position. Why should they not compete on equal footing with ordinary citizens for parking space? They are, after all, public servants. Furthermore, they often have drivers whose salaries are funded by the taxpayers.
If these officials genuinely believe they deserve special treatment and feel compelled to assert that point forcefully, perhaps even angrily, they should certainly refrain from doing so during the Sinulog. This festival belongs to all of us—a time for unity, not division over privilege.
