About two million people are expected to watch the Sinulog parade on January 16, prompting organizers to appeal for tight security from the police and private establishments.With the festivities only a little over a week away, the estimated 9,000 rooms in the different hotels in the city are already booked, said Ricky Ballesteros, executive director of the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI).
The 600 white tickets, the most expensive tickets to the grandstand of the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC), were also sold out two days after the SFI started selling these. The white ticket costs P600.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he invited President Benigno Aquino III to the January 16 event, but the latter has not yet confirmed if he can make it.
The mayor also invited representatives from the City of Yeosu in Korea, one of Cebu City's sister-cities.
He asked the private sector to help government agencies and the Philippine National Police (PNP) ensure the safety of tourists, during the city's busiest tourism season.
"We have to invest in security and visibility will be highlighted. If the security guards of the establishments can man the area outside their building, then why not?" he said.
In last year's grand parade, a top police official estimated some eight million people turned up in the grandstand and along the parade route, to watch the 11-hour show.
In an interview last year, Ballesteros had said the CCSC was "getting too small for the Sinulog."
To improve access to accommodations, Ballesteros this year also urged the Department of Tourism to come up with a home-stay program for tourists.
Meanwhile, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said the Province is ready to extend financial assistance for the Sinulog.
"They only have to ask," she said.
