In an interview with SunStar Cebu Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, City Councilor Phillip Zafra said with devotees expected to come in droves to the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu for the novena masses, devotees who have cars are sure to have a hard time looking for parking spots.
Recent celebrations of the Fiesta Señor showed that the vicinity of the Basilica becomes a center of traffic congestion due to small roads and the high volume of vehicular and human traffic, he said.
As a remedy, the devotees can just use the parking spaces available in a mall located at the South Road Properties (SRP) and another one at the North Reclamation Area (NRA).
Zafra said the malls have buses that can shuttle the devotees from the malls going to the Basilica.
According to his resolution filed during the City Council’s regular session on Wednesday, Dec. 21, the City Government will provide assistance to the two malls in securing special permits from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.
“It is expected that thousands of devotees after two years of limited and regulated fiesta celebration will join from around and beyond Cebu to make their pilgrimage to the City and pay homage to the Child Jesus, Señor Sto. Niño,” Zafra said in his resolution.
The buses from the SRP and NRA will ferry their passengers to the drop-off point at the Malacañan sa Sugbo near Plaza Independencia in downtown Cebu City.
These special routes are expected to begin on Jan. 5 and conclude during the fiesta day on Jan. 15.
Zafra further said that the City Government is also looking into the possibility of deploying its buses should the need for public transportation arise.
The Cebu City Transportation Office will also release a traffic advisory next week for any road closures or rerouting around the vicinity of the Basilica, he added.