Gov. Gwen Garcia has remained firm in her opposition to include Natalio Bacalso Avenue as part of the solemn foot procession route on the Vesperas of the Fiesta Señor celebration.
The governor made this very clear in a meeting at the Capitol today, January 19, attended by Cebu City Vice Mayor Raymond Garcia and Cebu City Councilor Rey Gealon, who also heads the Traffic Management Committee (TMC) of the city.
According to an information that reached Gov. Gwen, N. Bacalso Ave. shall be closed to vehicular traffic for at least six hours to give way to the solemn procession of thousands of devotees and pilgrims on Saturday, January 20.
The procession, which shall depart the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño at 1 PM, is slated to proceed to Osmeña Blvd and then turn left to Jakosalem St.
It will make a right turn to Magallanes St., straight to Borromeo St., right turn to Leon Kilat St., left turn to N. Bacalso Ave., right turn to V. Rama Ave., right turn to B. Rodriguez St., right turn to Osmeña Blvd, and straight to the Basilica.
“This is illogical, irrational, at the expense of public safety,” Gov. Gwen said, referring to the inconvenience the six-hour road closure will have on the commuting public, especially Cebuanos from the province.
The Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT), the main drop off point of travelers from the southern part of Cebu, is located along N. Bacalso Ave. As such, travelers to and from the south of Cebu via CSBT will bear the brunt of the six-hour road closure.
While the governor supports the religious activity in honor of the Sto. Niño, she believes that the order to close N. Bacalso Ave. is oppressive to the constituents of the province even as she questioned why the procession route was only approved a few days before the event, instead of weeks in advance.
Gov. Gwen even suggested that the procession route spare the length of N. Bacalso by passing through J. Alcantara Street from Leon Kilat Street, as J. Alcantara is an alternative route in going to V. Rama Street without having to pass through N. Bacalso.
Moreover, the governor added, the construction debris and metal spikes of the BRT project in front of CSBT could pose serious harm and danger to the thousands of devotees, including old folks and children, who are expected to join the procession.
“Dili mi ganahan ma-slighted sad ang Province sa kaning N. Bacalso kay tungod lage ma-affected sad ang commuters sa Province. We will find our best solution, a win-win solution, a compromise that will benefit both the province and the city,” Cebu City Vice Mayor Raymond Garcia told Sugbo News after the meeting.
Immediately after the meeting, Gov. Gwen issued a memorandum mandating the deployment of personnel from the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines-Joint Task Group, Philippine Coast Guard, and Civil Security Unit to ensure that her orders of keeping Natalio Bacalso Ave. open and maintaining operations at the Cebu South Bus Terminal are strictly observed and implemented. | Mary Ann Malaya
