Sinulog downside

Much has been said about the tremendous benefits that can be derived from the Sinulog but little, if at all, is said about its downside. Maybe this has to do with the Cebuano's deep sense of abiding faith in his own, a willful unwillingness to rain on his own parade. But if the Cebuano is to protect at all the Sinulog and preserve it for future generations, he has to take a full accounting of it, warts and all.

To begin with, it is not all hunky-dory with the Sinulog. For one, it has the tendency to mislead people, including many Cebuanos themselves, about why there is great celebration in Cebu every third Sunday of January. And the real reason is not the Sinulog. It is the feast of the Santo Niño. It just happened that one of the many aspects of celebrating the feast was this dance called "sinulog" that traditionally was a way to give thanks to the Holy Child.

Somewhere along the way, in 1980 to be precise, it was decided to make a festival of this dance, hence the birth, and eventual growth, of the Sinulog. Sadly, along the way also grew the notion that the Sinulog was, by itself, the reason for the celebration. It is not uncommon nowadays to hear Sinulog instead of Fiesta Señor used in reference of the third Sunday of January celebration.

What people do not know is that the Sinulog Foundation, which organizes the Sinulog, is essentially an adjunct of the Cebu City government. If, for whatever reason, the foundation decides to scrap the Sinulog either for a year or forever, it is a possibility that can easily happen. Not so with the feast of the Santo Niño. There is no doing away with the Santo Niño because the Holy Child is at the very heart of what it is to be Cebuano.

The point is, diligent care and conscious effort are needed to make distinctions between the fiesta and the festival because if it comes to a choice, which will prevail is a foregone conclusion. The fiesta needs nothing to ensure its continuance, but if the Sinulog is to be protected, it has to remain subordinate. It must be made absolutely clear that it is subordinate.

Then there is the matter of terror, the threat of which has always been there but at no time has it been given more attention and support. But just like all threats, there is not much that can be done about it except by way of vigilance. Anybody determine to cause trouble will always try to do so and it is up to vigilance to try and keep any attempt from succeeding. But we can never allow terror to rule our lives. So, as it is always said, we will just have to proceed with caution.

Then there is the threat of hooliganism and violence. But these, too, are being addressed. The Cebu City mayor has already taken cognizance of the problem and has taken steps to minimize, if not eliminate, the problem. For unless these twin threats are controlled, they too possess the potential to cause the Sinulog to go and self-destruct.

Another potential way that the Sinulog can self-destruct is the unbridled surfeit of Sinulogs that one can almost puke already from the overkill. For the past several years there have been a number of side-Sinulogs aside from the main parade. There is the opening salvo, the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan and the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan, with the latter scrapped in favor of a Sinulog sa Barangay. Then there is even a Sinulog repeat performance by the winners.

If you have seen one Sinulog, you have seen them all. The dance, the beat, the costumes are essentially the same. They do not change with the years. Bombarding the public with at least five Sinulogs every year is simply too much. They have become very disruptive to the daily lives of many people, especially those who have to endure the resulting traffic jams. Maybe somebody ought to start counting not just the gains but the economic losses directly attributable as well to the Sinulog.