Commander Mark Larsen Mariano, PCG Central Cebu commander, told reporters that they were overwhelmed by the number of participants that joined the procession even though they only registered about 189 vessels.
“Overall, napakaganda po ng results ng ating Sinulog Fluvial Parade ngayon dahil unang-una, wala po tayong casualty,” said Marciano, although there was a banca that experienced damage on its propeller early morning on Saturday.
Mariano said no maritime incident happened during the event.
He said they changed the route a bit, wherein they no longer crossed the Mactan-Mandaue Bridge since a lot of vessels, particularly speed boats, had already waited for the galleon that carried the images of the Santo Niño and the Our Lady of Guadalupe.
But Mariano said the good thing was that they were able to go near the devotees who waited near the coastal area in Mandaue City to get a glimpse of the Señor Sto. Niño.
“Pero ang pinakamaganda sa lahat is nakisama yung panahon natin kasi medyo maliwanag na, wala tayong ulan,” he said.
While the start of the seaborne procession was delayed for about 15 minutes, Mariano said they were able to make it to the two-hour time frame.
The Mactan Channel was closed starting 4 a.m. until 9 a.m. Saturday to give way for the seaborne procession. (MKG)