Cops tighten security in Cebu for Sinulog Festival

Security has been beefed up in Cebu City in time for the annual Sinulog Festival, one of the country's major tourist attractions taking place every third Sunday of January to honor the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus. Radio dzBB's Cebu affiliate reported Thursday the city government ordered police to ensure high security as it expects two million visitors arriving for the event. The report said many local and foreign tourists have already booked hotel rooms in advance to witness the festivities. Organizers said some 9,000 rooms in the city's hotels and pension houses have already been fully booked as of this week. Among the guests expected at this year's Sinulog are President Benigno Aquino III and representatives from Yeosu City in South Korea, a sister city of Cebu. The Sinulog is a dance ritual in honor of the miraculous image of the Santo Niño. "The dance moves resemble the water current (sulog) of what was then known as Cebu’s Pahina River. Thus, in Cebuano, they say it’s Sinulog," the Sinulog's official website said. It added the dance, which has a pagan origin, is the link between the country’s pagan past and its Christian present. Even before Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan arrived in Cebu on April 7, 1521 to plant the cross on its shore and claim the country for Spain, Sinulog was already danced by the natives in honor of their wooden idols and anitos. When Magellan arrived and introduced Christianity, he gave an image of the Santo Niño as baptismal gift to Hara Amihan, wife of Cebu’s Rajah Humabon who was later named Queen Juana. But in recent years' festivities, some hitches always come with the fun. Sinulog organizers have admitted crowd control had been a headache. "Varied, tried and tested, the approach and strategies have so far been elusive, however. And yet, this could be the dark side of the moon, the light side being that as the crowd swells year after year by millions, the Sinulog parade and activities became bigger and better. This made Sinulog …the country’s biggest and grandest cultural festival," it said. — LBG, GMANews.TV