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CEBU CITY, Philippines —Cebu City The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will not reconsider its decision to prohibit the celebration of sunrise Masses inside gyms.
Councilman Joel Garganera, EOC’s deputy director of implementation, said the decision was not made only by the agency, but was also the decision of the police, the military, the Barangay Council Association (ABC) and the health authorities. .
The councilor said sports gyms may be a viable option for dividing the crowd, but city security personnel are simply not enough to monitor them in addition to churches.
Read: ‘More security personnel, necessary spaces for Misa de Gallo’
On Wednesday December 16, 2020, the churches around Metro Cebu were filled with people who attended the first day of the novena masses leading up to Christmas Day.
LOOK: Photos of churches around Metro Cebu during the first day of Misa de Gallo 2020
Garganera said that the police can only manage the security of the 35 churches in the city, but that they cannot promise to monitor these alternative venues if they are allowed to have Misa de Gallo.
To avoid over-dispersing security personnel, the EOC and other agencies have decided not to allow remote masses to take place in the meantime.
“We understand that people are used to it, but we are in the middle of the pandemic. Anyway, the churches have two Misa de Gallos and the masses are broadcast live, ”said Garganera.
While the crowd on the first day may draw attention to the lack of other venues to celebrate Mass, the EOC praised the churches for at least maintaining health protocols within church precincts.
However, the EOC understands that not all plans are perfect and is willing to work with churches that are having difficulty controlling crowds outside of churches.
“We will identify these churches that need focus and formulate ways to improve their situation,” Garganera said.
The councilor calls on the public to take into account his behavior when attending the masses, as even with strict security measures, if the public does not cooperate, the authorities will have a difficult time controlling the crowd.
/ bmjo
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