1 Sinulog | Queen of Mardigras - Cebu’s Grandest Festival

Sinulog is Cebu’s or even probably the Philippines’ grandest festival. It’s a bold statement to claim but if you ask anybody who has been to Sinulog they will definitely agree. With that said, Sinulog isn’t just a one day event, it is celebrate over a month with full of activities including novenas, processions, contests, parades and photo contests just to name a few.

Below is a complete list of the official Sinulog 2017 schedule of activities including their dates:

Dec. 1, 2016 January 31, 2017 — Sinulog Street Fair, Osmeña Boulevard

Dec. 30, 2016 — Sinulog Fun Run

5:00 A.M. Elimination Sinulog 2017 Dance Crew

January 5, 2017 (Thursday) — Opening Salvo: Walk with Jesus

4:00 A.M. Assembly Time (Area) Fuente Osmeña
4:30 A.M. Start of Walk-Fuente Osmeña Blvd. – Basilica del Sto. Niño
5:30 A.M. Installation of Hermano & Hermana Mayores 2017

January 6, 2017 (Friday) — Sinulog 2017 Kick Off

10:00 A.M. Sinulog Trade Fair @ SM City Cebu
2:00 P.M. Solemn Mass (Basilica Del Santo Niño)
3:00 P.M. Launching Parade (Basilica Del Santo Niño to CCSC)
5:30 P.M. Novena mass
7:00 P.M. Opening and Launching Program, Fuente Osmeña

January 7, 2017 (Saturday) — Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan

1:00 P.M. Parade of Participants (Capitol to CCSC)
2:00 P.M. Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan at CCSC
5:30 P.M. Novena mass
7:00 P.M. Ms. Cebu 2017 Pre Pageant Night @ Ayala Activity Center
10:00 P.M. Concert @ the Fuente Osmeña, Party Bands

January 8, 2017 (Sunday) — Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan

3:00 A.M. Cebu City 2017 Marathon – www.cebumarathon.net
1:00 P.M. Parade of Participants, Plaza Independencia to CCSC
2:00 P.M. Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan at CCSC
5:30 P.M. Novena mass
10:00 P.M. Concert @ the Fuente Osmeña, Party Bands

January 9, 2017 (Monday)

10:00 P.M. Concert @ the Fuente Osmeña, Party Bands
5:30 P.M. Novena mass

January 10, 2017 (Tuesday)

10:00 P.M. Concert @ the Fuente Osmeña, Party Bands
5:30 P.M. Novena mass

January 11, 2017 (Wednesday)

9:00 A.M. Airport Welcome (Balikbayan Flights)
5:30 P.M. Novena mass
7:00 P.M. Ms. Cebu 2017 Coronation Night @ Waterfront
8:00 P.M. Sinulog Idol @ Fuente Osmeña Circle9:00 P.M. Concert @ Fuente Osmeña, Party Bands

January 12, 2017 (Thursday)

9:00 A.M. Airport Welcome (Balikbayan Flights)
5:30 P.M. Novena mass
6:00 P.M. Balik Cebu, Welcome Party @ Ayala Center Cebu6:30 P.M. Sinulog Festival Queen Runway Competition and Photo shoot

January 13, 2017 (Friday) — Visual Merchandising Contest

4:00 A.M. Walk with Mary (Area) Fuente Osmeña – Sto. Niño
9:00 A.M. Solidarity Meeting (All Competing Contingent/Floats/ Higante/ Puppeteers) @ Cebu City Sports Center Gym
6:00 P.M. Sinulog 2017 Dance Crew Finals @ Cebu City Sports Center
7:30 P.M. Sinulog Festival Queen 2017 Coronation Night @ Cebu City Sports Center

January 14, 2017 (Saturday)

6:00 A.M. Fluvial Procession of the Miraculous Image of the Sto. Niño
9:00 A.M. Re-enactment of the Baptism of Queen Juana and Rajah Humabon
12:00 P.M. 12th “The Street Vibration & Big Bike Rally 2017” by V-max Owner’s Group, Inc Cebu Chapter
2:00 P.M. Solemn Procession of the Miraculous Image of Sto. Niño
7:00 P.M. Sinulog Fireworks Competition @ SM City Cebu

January 15, 2017 (Sunday) — Sinulog Grand Parade

4:00 A.M. Mañanita Mass @ Basilica del Sto. Niño
6:00 A.M. Pontifical Mass
8:00 A.M. Holy Mass @ Cebu City Sports Center
9:00 A.M. Sinulog Grand Parade Carousel Kick Off
7:00 P.M. Grand Finale and Grand Fireworks at CCSC
9:00 P.M. Pyrospectacular Show (Pyromusical Show at SM City Cebu)
9:00 P.M. – 2:00 A.M. Sinulog DJ Mixing Grand Finals Night at Fuente Osmeña Circle
12:00 MN Sinulog Fireworks at SRP

January 16, 2017 (Monday) — Awarding Ceremonies

January 20, 2017 (Friday) — “HUBO”

January. 31, 2017 — Judging Sinulog 2017 Photo Contest

Febuary 1, 2017 — Judging of Finalists in Short Film/Video Documentary and Music Video Contest

February 4, 2017

1:00 P.M. Screening of Finalists Sinulog Short Film Festival @ SM City Cebu
6:00 P.M. Awarding Ceremonies Photo Contest, Short Film and Video Documentary Contest @ SM City Cebu

February 4, 2017 – February 13, 2017 Photo Exhibit Winning Photos Sinulog 2017 @ SM City Cebu

This official Sinulog 2017 schedule of activities was provided by the Sinulog Foundation.

Now that you know the schedule of activities for Sinulog 2017 you can now plan your personal activities ahead of time. Staying updated is the best way to savor every moment of this once a year festival.

For first-timers, expect Cebu City to be “really” crowded especially during the Sinulog Grand Parade. You will see the whole city flooded with people, dancing and marrying everywhere. Expect to have parties everywhere, there will be non-stop music, drinking and just pure fun.

There will be rarely any public transportation available going to the center of the city, or probably even none. Most of the public vehicles are re-routed and people just walk all over the city. There is also a possibility that some mobile networks will have a difficulty in finding a signal. Imagine 6-8 million people crowded all over the heart of the city and most of them use their mobile phones at the same time. The network usually gets busy.

So there you have it! Plan your Sinulog activities ahead. .

Contact Information:

Sinulog Foundation Inc. Office Cebu City Sports Center Osmeña Blvd. Cebu City, Philippines
Call us at: +63-32-253-3700
Telefax : +63-32-254-5010
E-mail : info@sinulog.ph

0 Sevilleno, Largo shine in St. Pedro Calungsod Run

CHRISTY Sevilleno and Michael Largo captured the 10-kilometer crowns in yesterday’s “Saint Pedro Calungsod Fun Run: Walk of Faith, A Run for Truth.”

Around 2,000 runners answered the starting gun for this running event that is held in line with the celebration of the feast of Saint Pedro Calungsod.

In the end, it was Sevilleno who stood out as she reached the finish line at the Ayala Center Cebu’s the Terraces in 47 minutes and 24 seconds to win the women’s crown.

Largo, on the other hand, crossed the finish line in 36 minutes and 36 seconds to top the men’s division.

The proceeds of the running event will be used for the scholarship program of the Saint Pedro Calungsod chapel administration for deserving altar boys and servers.

Meanwhile, Joel Delposo emerged victorious in 5k category, finishing the race in 17 minutes and 31 seconds for the men’s crown.

The Delechos siblings, Keisha Mae and Irish, finished first and second, respectively, in the distaff side. Keisha Mae topped the race with a time of 23:31 while Irish clocked 23:37 to finish second.

In the 3k race, Andog Mejares and Joy Postanes came out on top. Mejares topped the race in 10:41 while Postanes clocked 15:19 to win the female side.

The running event was handled by race director Joel Juarez and Cebu Ultra Runners Club president Tony Galon.

DALE G. ROSAL
Cebu Daily News

0 Church kicks off Pedro’s anniversary

Novena prayers marking the nine-day preparations for the first anniversary of the canonization of St. Pedro Calungsod started last Saturday.

The church celebrations on Oct. 21 will focus on four sites – the new San Pedro Calungsod Chapel in SM Seaside City, the Calungsod Archdiocesan Shrine in D. Jakosalesm Street, the San Pedro Calungsod parish in barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City as well as the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

Msgr. Vicente Tupas, rector of the Calungsod Chapel, whose modern design features 100 walls of different heights and widths, presided over the 6 p.m. Mass yesterday.

Oct. 21 is the day Calungsod, the teenage Visayan martyr, was officially declared a saint in Rome a year ago.

His feast day is celebrated on April 2, marking his death in Guam where he was part of a Jesuit mission and was killed by native Chamorro people in 1672.
On Oct. 21, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma will lead a concelebrated Mass at 4 p.m. at the cathedral, seat of the Cebu Archdiocese.

Margie Mattheu, executive secretary of the Pastoral Planning Board, said three archbishops and 14 bishops are expected to attend the Mass which will also open the 9th Visayas Regional Pastoral Assembly in Cebu City.

The Mass will also kick off the Duaw Lungsud/Nasud where Calungsod’s image will be brought to different places in Cebu and in Naval, Leyte
Also on Oct. 21, a procession will be held inside the Archbishop’s Residence compound where the Calungsod shrine is located.

The Rosary will be prayed every 5 p.m. followed by daily novena Mass at the shrine presided by Msgr. Ildebrando Leyson.

The Cebu celebration is led by the Commission for the Promotion of the Devotion to San Pedro Calungsod headed by Msgr. Cayetano Gelbolinogo with Msgr. Marnel Mejia and Fr. Charles Louis Jayme.

By Ador Vincent S. Mayol
Cebu Daily News

0 Calungsod chapel bares fiesta activities

The Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod at the SM Seaside Complex in South Road Properties, Cebu City will celebrate its first fiesta celebration that coincides with the first anniversary of the canonization of the Visayan Saint on Oct. 21.

The theme for this celebration is “San Pedro Calungsod…A Man of Faith…A Man of Truth.”

The celebration will begin with a Mass at 6 p.m. on Oct. 12. Novena is set from Oct. 12 to 20 at 3 p.m., to be followed by a Holy Mass at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. There will be a 9 a.m. Mass on Oct. 13 and 20. Presentations from different choir groups happen is scheduled 5:30 p.m.

A solemn procession is on Oct. 20 at 6:45 p.m. from the Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod going to the Mambaling flyover, and back to SM Seaside Complex. On the feast day on Oct. 21, a Holy Mass will be celebrated at 8 a.m. to be followed by the Pontifical Mass at 10 a.m. Masses will also be offered at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the same day.

There will be a Sky Lantern display on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. and a run-for-a-cause, Run for San Pedro Calungsod on Oct. 13 at 4 a.m. at the SM Seaside Complex. The run will feature 3K, 5K, and 10K distances.

Artist Mar Vidal will conduct a free art workshop for the acolytes from the different Cebu parishes on Oct. 19 at 8 a.m. at the chapel’s function hall. A poster-making contest will follow at noon. Winners of the contest will be announced during the 6 p.m. Mass. The winning entries will be displayed for public viewing in SM City Cebu on Oct. 20 and 21.

A fireworks display will be on Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. and on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. Libera, a boys’ choir from England, will perform on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. at the chapel.

For ticket inquiries, call the Arts Council of Cebu at 233-0452.

Cebu Daily News

0 Woman credits Blessed Pedro for saving her sight

TWO doctors told Felicitas Castro almost a decade ago that she would go blind.

The 44-year-old real estate agent underwent two laser surgeries to heal her left eye, which had a blood clot.

But Castro was not healed. No one could figure out what was wrong.

“Unsa’y ihatag sa Ginoo dawaton (Whatever God planned for me, I accepted),” she told
herself at that time.

Eventually, she heard about the Blessed Pedro Calungsod Shrine at the Archbishop’s Residence compound on D. Jakosalem St., Cebu City.

Aside from attending healing masses and praying in other churches, she went to the shrine and petitioned to the Visayan martyr to intercede for her prayers.

Years later, the blood clot in Castro’s eyes disappeared.

She believes that Calungsod, who will be canonized on Oct. 21 at the Vatican City in Rome, Italy, had interceded for her.

“Gihatagan ko’g milagro (I was given a miracle),” said Castro, a resident of Talisay City.

She plans to attend the national thanksgiving mass for Blessed Pedro’s canonization,
which will be held at the South Road Properties (SRP) in Cebu City next month.

But to determine whether or not Castro’s healing was a miracle is a long process, said Fr. Charles Jayme of the Sto. Rosario Parish Church.

In a separate interview yesterday, Jayme said a devotee’s claim will have to be verified, if indeed the intercession was made by a certain saint.

The claim must also be studied by experts to determine if it is beyond human and scientific explanations.

After a thorough study, a report will be sent to the Vatican for further scrutiny.

“For us, when we say it is a miracle… nobody can question (you) because it is your faith dictating you. The Church still respects that,” Father Jayme said.

Castro said she worried about becoming blind because she has five children to provide for. In her Social Security System papers, she even described herself as partially disabled.

Since her “miraculous” healing, Castro said she has visited the doctor only once a year.

For her, faith is strong medicine. She said a devotee should not relent in asking for help from a saint.

“They should not lose hope,” she said.

By Kevin A. Lagunda
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on October 09, 2012.

0 Ginatilan town prepares fiesta for Calungsod

The town of Ginatilan is getting ready for the 4-day celebration for the canonization of Beato Pedro Calungsod.

The southwestern Cebu town claims to be the hometown of Calungsod.

The Calungsod clan are mostly living in barangay Cagsing.


Tracing Calungsod

The municipal government of Ginatilan has created a committee to trace the Calungsod family tree.

The town is also inviting all Calungsods to attend the celebration of his sainthood which would start on  Oct. 18. Calungsod will be canonized on Oct. 21 in the Vatican.

He will be country’s second saint. The first Filipino saint, San Lorenzo Ruiz was canonized on Oct. 18, 1987.

According to Glynna Jomuad, Sangguniang Bayan secretary who leads the team tracing the Calungsod family tree,  the earliest baptismal record of a Calungsod was in  1850, when Victoria Francisca Calungsod was born in the town.

The earliest record of a Calungsod death was in 1882. Luciano Calungsod died that year at the age of 37 which means he was born on 1819.

Their research however goes back as early as 1778, based on the death records of Catalina Calungsod who died at 80 years old in 1858.

Jomuad believes that there can still be a lot of Calungsods born before 1700s only that their records are limited.

Last month, Jomuad’s team was able to trace who could be the oldest Calungsod alive. They have found Urbana Calungsod Gonser-Mayorita in the town of Boljoon. She is 93 years old and was born on July 20, 1919. Urbana’s parents are from Ginatilan.

“She is still strong and she still works in the farms. We are going back to their place soon to personally invite her and her family to attend our celebration,” says Jumoad.

Ready for Fiesta

The town is ready for the grand event. Posters of Calungsod have been placed on both sides of the road. Banderitas are already hanging outside St. Gregory the Great Parish.

They have also improved the landscape of the church since most of the activities will be done in the area. At the side of the church is the monument of Beato Pedro Calungsod where novenas will be done.

The images of Beato Pedro Calungsod are a hit. Though the images are not exactly the one approved by the Archdiocese of Cebu, devotees still buy them. The images are those with Calungsod only holding a palm and do not have a bible in his hand.

These images are sold at P80 to P150 depending on the size. Prayer booklets of Calungsod at P15 are also in demand. There are also t-shirts with the picture of Calungsod on it at P250.

Several resorts around town are already fully booked for the occasion.

Resorts rooms in Ginatilan range from P700 to P1,500 a night.


By Carine M. Asutilla
Cebu Daily News