Public advised: Brace for road closures

CEBU, Philippines — Motorists are advised that the Cebu City Transportation Office is already implementing temporary road closures for the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo 2024, which will be held at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) this Sunday already.

This is because of the huge number of participants and props, as 52 local government units of Cebu, including Cebu City as guest contingent, are joining the annual festival.

Yesterday, there was a temporary road closure at corner of Leon Kilat and Sanciangko Sts. and that of Leon Kilat and J. Alcantara Sts.

Another advisory was made also yesterday concerning another road closure for the blocking of contingents’ movements from yesterday until tomorrow.

As per advisory, the road closures began at 12:01 a.m. yesterday “and will continue until the specified end date.”

For the blocking of contingent movements area, the participants will assemble starting at Pelaez St. and R. Landon St. and would then proceed to the Cebu City Sports Center, and returning via Osmeña Blvd.

“To manage expected congestion, traffic will be rerouted along designated paths. Green and yellow routes on the map indicate alternative routes for motorists, designed to minimize disruption while ensuring access to key areas. The Southbound Route (Green) on Osmeña Blvd., from R. Landon St. to the corner of P. del Rosario St., will utilize the innermost left lane of the road,” stated the CCTO advisory.

There are also specific drop-off areas have been designated for contingents and no entry zones, including the sections of Osmeña Boulevard, R. Landon St. and Pelaez St.

Motorists are advised to avoid these areas and use the designated reroutes, especially that rehearsals continue today and tomorrow.

“We strongly encourage all motorists to plan their routes in advance to avoid any inconvenience. For your safety and to facilitate the smooth running of the event, please adhere to the instructions given by traffic enforcers and follow all posted signage,” CCTO said.

Meanwhile, at the Cebu City Hall, a few departments have been directed to assign five employees, including job order or project-based employees, for the “Adopt-a-School” program for the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo.

A memo from the Office of the Mayor signed by Atty. Jared Limquiaco, the secretary to the mayor, showed different offices assigned on a particular day and time to be of assistance.

The assignment of employees from different offices is scheduled from August 22 to 26.

It was also emphasized that employees assigned to work during weekends, holidays or nght shifts are entitled to compensatory time-off equivalent to the total number of hours rendered.

JO and project-based personnel, for their part, are also entitled to get payment if they are required to work on holidays as long as they do not exceed the standard 22-day limit accordingly.

Cebu City acting Mayor Raymond Garcia had already explained earlier that the city as host is not shelling out funds for the Pasigarbo, but will be rendering services through maintenance of the billeting quarters for the contingents.

This means that the city will take care of the water sources, electricity, among others.

Acting Mayor Garcia said the city will also be deploying traffic enforcers and security personnel, including an augmentation of the government’s busses.

Various security units, on the other hand, have joined forces to ensure “robust security” for Pasigarbo sa Sugbo by deploying almost 2,000 personnel.

The joint task force will include members from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Office of Civil Defense, and other government agencies.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, Police Regional Office (PRO)-7 spokesperson, emphasized that security plans have been meticulously developed based on experiences from previous Pasigarbo and Sinulog events.

“Na-finalize na nato ang atong mga pagahimoon nga security measures para sa Pasigarbo sa Sugbo,” he said.

PRO-7 is actively preparing for the arrival of distinguished guests, particularly the visitors from Russia.

Security measures are being heightened, and coordination efforts are in full swing to ensure the smooth and secure visit of these international representatives.

Pelare said that while PRO-7 has not detected any specific threats, they remain cautious and have developed contingency plans to address any potential scenarios that may arise during the event.

Yesterday, contingents from various municipalities and towns across Cebu conducted their blocking at the CCSC and have now been assigned to different billeting quarters throughout Cebu City.

The Cebu City government, in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd), has arranged for schools to serve as billeting quarters for cultural festival participants.

The schools are equipped with portabaths provided through a partnership with the city government’s Local School Board and DepEd to ensure the delegations’ comfort.

Aside from security deployment, all security units are also gearing up for their security assets such as emergency units, ambulances, Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams and K9 units, communication equipment, and others. — (FREEMAN)