Anyway, the Sinulog Grand Parade is held every third Sunday of January. Every year, millions of people fill the streets of Cebu City to witness the grand parade and take part in the festivities. The parade starts at exactly nine in the morning and ends with a finale presentation and fireworks display at the Cebu City Sports Center.

Here are my photos of the parade. Hope you enjoy them.

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Pit Senyor!

Val Sandiego and his wife lead the Sandiego Dance Company.

Smile for the camera!

Niño on a horse.

Taking a short break.

Mango Avenue – Sinulog Day.

Save Mother Earth!

Sexy!

A male bearer of the Niño posing for the camera.

The Niño on IPI’s float.

Local celebrity JR Siaboc.

Sinulog 2012!

Tri-pod not needed. Hehe.

Peekaboo!

Balcony!

Pretty Sinulog dancer.

This drummer looks a bit sad. Hehe.

A very beautiful Sandiego dancer. A lot of photographers were taking pictures of her.

Rooftop cheerers.

A chinese-themed contingent. Very nice.

A higante (giant) entry called ‘Kaplag.’

Grin for the camera.

Pretty mermaid on a float.

Another higante entry. He kinda looks like Elvis. Hehehe.

Python man. A real scene-stealer.

Foreign visitors enjoying the parade.

One-half of a huge higante depicting a Filipino family.

Worn out but not tired.

This is obviously ex-president GMA.

The dancers of Sandiego Dance Company are really pretty.

A siokoy (merman.)

Cute kid on a float.

Star.

Awesome costume from this contingent.

Taking a picture of a college friend taking a picture of me.

Busy streets.

Mid-day break.

Not tired yet?

Put your hands up!

Awesome costume! I love this shot!

WALL-E!

Pretty lead dancer. I think she’s been dancing for at least three years now.

Very awesome head-dress. Pretty lead dancer.

A well-made float by LBC. Cool!

Hitting two birds with one stone.

Another very pretty dancer. Her costume is amazing.

A generous serving of good vibes.

Duck for that money shot!

Hiding from the afternoon heat.

At the right moment. Floating candy wrapper!

Another gorgeous lead dancer. Awesome feathers!

Very cute kid.

This Sandiego dancer really stopped dancing to pose for my camera. Thank you!

Looking through HIS eyes. Literally.

Street acrobats.

Excellent job, kids!

Walking Niño!

Smile!

Quick fix!

After more than four hours of dancing, this lady is still smiling. Wow!

Awesome out-of-town contingent.

Beautiful smile!

Chit-chatting during one of the breaks.

The costume is mind-blowing! Pretty lead dancer!

I was able to take a lot of photos of  Mr. Ogie Alcasid on MLhuillier’s float. Mr. Alcasid is currently very popular because of a funny character he portrays on his weekly gag show Bubble Gang. The name of his character is Boy Pick Up.

The people loved him!

A woman and her kids call out to Mr. Alcasid.

Smile!

This guy in black is obviously very happy to see him. Hehe.

Young ladies taking photos of Boy Pick-UP/Ogie.

“Hello, Ogie!” shouted this lady in red.

Wave!

They’re happy to see him, as well!

Adults and young kids alike were so glad to see him.

Ogie as Boy Pick-Up!

And the crowd went crazy!

Love to see their smiles.

Immediately after the parade, Mr. Alcasid twitted about his experience. I sent him this photo. He thanked me for the photo and he immediately retwitted it. The photo was eventually posted on his official FB page.

Governor Gwen Garcia during the finale.

Grand fireworks display at the end of the show.

Pit Senyor!

See you next year, guys!

The Solemn Foot Procession is first and foremost a religious activity. The people who flock to the streets to honor the holy image say their prayers in silence. At times, they sing in unison as they wave their hands as a sign of devotion to Senyor Santo Niño.

From beginning til end, the procession moves in a slow but steady pace. Although the event attracts millions, the devotees walk the whole route in a disciplined and orderly manner.

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Viva! Pit Senyor!

Two hours before the start of the procession.

The procession started at around 1 pm. Just a few minutes past two, the head of the procession reached Fuente Osmeña.

The head of the parade consists of a group of young altar boys, a big band, and the members of Knights of  Colombus.

Members of Knights of Colombus.

A young guy carrying his Niño in green.

A group of  paraplegic guys joins the parade.

I LOVE Cebu!

Lucky kid.

A few minutes later, the image of San Jose arrived.

Closer shot.

Later, we saw the guys from the Cebu City Government.

Was quite surprised to find Gwen there.

The sun was still hot so thousands of umbrellas covered Jones Avenue.

Santo Niño on a trisikad.

A cute Niño on top of a cowboy.

A very huge image of the Niño.

This one is made of wood. I’m sure it’s a bit heavy.

These guys were busy fixing the crown of their Niño.

Niños in a basket.

Nursing students were there.

Niño on a stroller.

The girl scouts were also there.

A lady praying the rosary.

Guys in hats with their Niños.

A cute girl dressed in red and gold.

The students from CDU were also there.

A pack of Niños.

Love this shot. A young girl carrying her Niño in a cute green outfit.

Sleeping beside the Niño.

When it was a lot cooler, the umbrellas disappeared. And this was what we saw. Wow!

Three in one!

More than an hour after Saint Joseph’s carozza, another carozza reached the Fuente Osmeña.

Image of Nuestra Señora dela Consolacion y Correa.

Closer view of the image.

Thirty minutes later.

A baby dressed as a Niño.

This guy raised his Niño when I tried to take a picture of them.

All-white! Cute!

More people. This can only mean one thing.

Comfortable spot.

Different Niños.

That guy holding a phone is a friend and high-school classmate. He’s one of Cebu’s awesome photographers.

More people! Wow! Look at that!

The carroza is still nowhere in sight.

A cute kid and his Niño.

Niño in white robe.

Niño in green.

Finally, He’s here.

The number of people more or less doubled.

The carozza surrounded by priests and security personnel.

Viva Senyor Santo Niño. Pit Senyor!

Bato Balani sa Gugma.

The other side of the street was also suddenly filled with people!

Wow! Look at that!

Good job! These men and women really did an excellent job.

Due to the number of people, there were several halts in the procession. This was to make sure that no one got hurt especially in major choke points. During one of those halts, I saw someone familiar. Hehehe. Spotted! He is a friend and a classmate in college. Now, officially a man of God. Congrats and Good luck, Algie!

A guy silently waits for the procession to move again.

Two kids carrying their huge image of the Niño.

More people behind the carro.

Does this cute little girl look familiar to you?

When I saw this young girl on her father’s shoulders, I thought that she looked kinda familiar. I must have seen her somewhere. But where?

So, I reviewed all of my photos and hoped that I’d  find the answer to my question.

When I opened the folder of photos I took in 2010, I knew that I’d found her. She was the young girl I took a photograph of during the Solemn Foot Procession of 2010. That was three years ago! She was also holding an image of the Niño. And she was also on her father’s shoulders!

Here’s a short video of the procession.

Pit Senyor, guys!

Every year, on the eve of the Fiesta Senyor (the day before the fiesta,) the image of the Niño is brought back to the City of Cebu. After one whole day in Mandaue City, the image is brought back to the Basilica through a traditional fluvial procession. The procession starts at around eight in the morning and culminates in a holy mass at the Basilica at nine.

Here are some photographs of this year’s Fluvial Procession. Hope you enjoy the shots.

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Pit Senyor!

We arrived at Pier 6 a little too early. So, I decided to take a couple of extra shots. Here’s a shot of the Radisson Blu Hotel right beside SM City Cebu.

Reflection shot. Hehe.

Here’s the Sinulog dance of some port workers. They do this every year.

They had body paint and grass skirts. They really came prepared. Good job, guys!

Pose for the camera!

A few other early birds. Hehe.

A few minutes later, when more people started to arrive, our Badjao brothers and sisters also appeared. Hehehe.

This family came with a small kid. They’d leave t he kid on the boat while they dive for coins.

The kid hangs on while his mother dives for a 5-peso coin.

Now safe in his mother’s arms.

A few minutes later, the procession started.

Except for the Niño’s ‘galleon,’ boats are not allowed to move too close to the pier.

Leading the armada was, of course, a team from the Coast Guard. They make sure that no boats are on the way of the procession.

A very colorful boat.

Guys on a boat applauding the dancing port workers.

More boats! Notice the Roble ship is also filled to the rafters.

More boats with festive colors.

A wonderful shot of some people near the front of their boat.

As the Niño’s galleon became visible, the huge ships docked began to blow their horn.

The image of the Niño as well as Cebu’s patron saint Our Lady of Guadalupe of Cebu.

The image of the Niño in a golden glass vessel.

On another boat, I saw Ka Bino (guy wearing black hat.) Hehe.

More boats. Wow! Just too many boats this year! Wow!

And more boats!

A nice-looking small boat with yellow banderitas.

Look at that cute umbrella for the Niño. Nice. Hehe.

A small boat with far too many people on it. Hehe.

This one looks stuffed, too.

A guy enjoying the scene.

Awesome spot for taking photos.

There they go.

Wow! So many boats!

And there’s more!

Cute family photo.

Wow. Nice looking boat.

I wanted to know exactly where the boats go after the procession. So, we decided to investigate. Good thing we were on my motor bike. So, we were able to go to reach the SRP in just a few minutes. This is what we found out. Apparently, a good number of those who attend the procession are from Carbon, Pasil, and Ermita.

Waiting for the arrival of the boats.

And one by one, the boats arrived.

Wow!

Passengers being unloaded.

Wow! Look at that!

More people getting off the boats.

And more boats about to dock.

Pit Senyor, guys!

By the way, sorry for the shots. I couldn’t find a space near the front because the photographers who were there were all using ladders. Hehehe. I had to stay near the side of the stage with other photographers with ‘smaller’ cameras.

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This year’s Sinulog Festival Queen is Apriel Smith of Cebu City’s Tribu Lumad Basakanon.

Sinulog Festival Queen 2012!

Opening Production number

Gorgeous ladies!

After the opening number, the contestants prepared for the next segment of the program. Each contestant, together with a few members of her contingent, will have to present a short production number.

Contestant No. 1

Contestant No. 2

Contestant No. 3

Contestant No. 4

Contestant No. 5

Contestant No. 6

Contestant No. 7

Contestant No. 8

Contestant No. 9

Contestant No. 10

Contestant No. 11

Contestant No. 12

Contestant No. 13

Contestant No. 14

After the production numbers, the contestants came back on stage with more elaborate costumes for their solo performances.

The biggest costume. Awesome!

Very graceful.

One of my faves. Very intricate. Well-done!

Contestant from Bulacao Community School. She was named Miss Photogenic.

One of the prettiest contestants. She’s from Dumaguete.

A wedding gown for Abellana National School’s lead dancer.

Another very wonderful costume.

Miss Smith in action. Very graceful dancer.

Gorgeous costume.

Before the final showdown, the Festival Queens of Cebu were presented on stage.

Miss Cebu 2009 1st runner-up Razzini Gomez was crowned Aliwan Fiesta Festival Queen 2010.

Miss Cebu 2010 3rd runner-up Rogelie Catacutan was crowned Aliwan Fiesta Festival Queen 2011.

Miss Cebu 2008 Sian Elizabeth Maynard was crowned Aliwan Fiesta Festival Queen 2009.

Grandslam for Cebu! (Note: Aliwan Fiesta is held in Manila. It is a competition of different festivals from all over the country. Cebu City’s Lumad Basakanon, too, is an Aliwan Fiesta Hall-of-Famer!) Go go go, Cebu!

Last year, Steffi Rose Pearson Aberasturi, also from Tribu Lumad Basakanon, was crowned Sinulog Festival Queen.

The final showdown before the awarding.

Best Group Performance: Conchitina Cleofe Cloma Yu of Lingganay Festival, Alangalang Leyte

Big Winner: Apriel Smith of Lumad Basakanon

Here is the complete list of winners!

Sinulog Festival Queen: Apriel Smith (Lumad Basakanon)
1st Runner Up: Nerissa Modesto (Pasaka Festival, Tanauan Leyte)
2nd Runner Up: Conchitina Cleofe Cloma Yu (Lingganay Festival, Alangalang Leyte)
3rd Runner Up: Shekina Rose Lasola (Sandurot Festival Dumaguete City)
4th Runner Up: Angel Lou Pates (Lanao del Norte)

Best in Runway Shekina Rose Lasola (Sandurot Festival Dumaguete City)
Miss SM Shekina Rose Lasola (Sandurot Festival Dumaguete City)
Miss Photogenic Danilie Rose Damolo (Bulacao Community School)
Miss PLDT Apriel Smith (Lumad Basakanon)
Shopwise by Rustans Queen Shekina Rose Lasola (Sandurot Festival Dumaguete City)
Miss Teletech Shekina Rose Lasola (Sandurot Festival Dumaguete City)
Miss Globe Telecom Shekina Rose Lasola (Sandurot Festival Dumaguete City)
Best in Festival Costume Apriel Smith (Lumad Basakanon)
Best Festival Costume Apriel Smith (Lumad Basakanon)
Best in Musicality Lingganay Festival Alangalang Leyte
Best Solo Performer Apriel Smith (Lumad Basakanon)
Best Group Performance Conchitina Cleofe Cloma Yu (Lingganay Festival, Alangalang Leyte)
Best Opening Production Number hekina Rose Lasola (Sandurot Festival DumagueteCity)

Congratulations to all the winners!

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Miss Cebu 2012: Pierre Anther Infante

First Runner-up: Rachel Chloe T. Palang

Second Runner-up: Ella Beverly P. Sarmago

Third Runner-up: Jonnie Rose Louise R. Wee

Fourth Runner-up: Herlie Kim T. Artugue

Congratulations, ladies!

Now, here’s the result of our own online poll:

1. Candidate No. 10 – Jonnie Rose Louise 18.02% (91 votes)
2. Candidate No. 1 – Michelle Angelique 15.25% (77 votes)
3. Candidate No. 3 – Rachel Chloe 12.28% (62 votes)
4. Candidate No. 9 – April Ann Claire 9.9% (50 votes)
5. Candidate No. 12 – Lesley Anne 9.7% (49 votes)

What do you think of this year’s results?

Here are some behind-the-scene shots of the street parade as well as shots of the competition proper. Hope you enjoy the photos!

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Pit Senyor!

Here are this year’s winners!

ELEMENTARY:
5th Place: Mambaling Elementary School
4th Place: Cebu City Central School
3rd Place: Zapatera Elementary School
2nd Place: Punta Princesa Elementary School
Champion: Bulacao Community School
Best in Musicality: Labangon Bliss Elementary School
Best in Costume: Zapatera Elementary School

SECONDARY:

5th Place: Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School
4th Place: Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. Memorial National High School
3rd Place: Barrio Luz National High School
2nd Place: Apas National High School
1st Place: Abellana National School
Best in Musicality: Apas National High School
Best in Costume: Abellana National School

Ticket prize: Php 75.oo

Bayanihan!

A cute girl and her Niño.

A lonely butterfly.

Wacky!

You need more lipstick!

Smile for the camera!

Pretty!

Hehe. Nice!

Hey, look here!

Very nice costume.

Lovely.

Waiting for the start of the parade.

Shy bride.

Something’s wrong with my shoe.

Beautiful brides.

What’s wrong with your skirt?

Pose!

Pretty smile.

A guy bearing a Niño. Nice.

Nice costume.

Performance level.

Very graceful.

Team Guadalupe, represent!

Taking a short break. Hehehe.

Sinulog 2012!

Bleh!

Team Guadalupe, again!

Silver and gold. Nice.

Very nice shoes.

Stunning. One of my faves.

Another very graceful dancer.

Very cute kid. Literally pint-sized.

Cute kids in action.

A cute butterfly.

A huge siloy!

Cute butterflies.

The mother butterfly. Hehe.

Jam-packed!

Go Zapatera!

Fire near San Jose-Recoletos.

Team Abellana in action.

Very nice. One of my bets.

Awesome costume.

Team Guadalupe.

Waiting for the result.

Last shot! Very pretty!

]]> http://mycebuphotoblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/sinulog-sa-kabataan-sa-dakbayan-2012/feed/ 16 leylander http://mycebuphotoblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/sinulog-sa-kabataan-sa-lalawigan-2012/ http://mycebuphotoblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/sinulog-sa-kabataan-sa-lalawigan-2012/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:26:01 +0000 leylander http://mycebuphotoblog.wordpress.com/?p=3948 ]]> The weekend before the Sinulog Parade weekend, the Sinulog sa Kabataan (Sinulog of the Youth) is held. Students from both the city and the province of Cebu compete during these events for a spot in the Sinulog Grand Parade (held every third Sunday of January.)

The Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan (province) is held every second Saturday January. The Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan (city) is held every second Sunday.

Me and my Sinulog partner Line arrived at around 1 pm at the Abellana Grandstand for the event. At the gate, we noticed that the entrance fee to see the competition was already Php75 pesos. The amount in the previous years was only from Php20 to Php50. I’m not sure why they decided to suddenly make some sudden changes. The Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan is usually witnessed by Cebuanos from faraway municipalities who wish to support their contingents. The trip to Cebu City alone costs a lot. I’m sure some of them weren’t even able to get in because of the steep price. The Sinulog Foundation should have decreased the fee to Php20.

When me and Line were about to enter the grandstand, we were told that we had to get a ticket as well. Even though we already presented our Sinulog Photographer’s ID, (I’ve been covering the Sinulog for three years and the Photog’s ID serves as an all-access pass) they still insisted that we get tickets. Later, I learned that some photographers were allowed to get in even without paying Php75. What is up with that? In 2010, the price for a Photographer’s ID and a shirt was 500. The following year, they changed it to Php600 because they said they were throwing in a Canon vest with the kit. Okay, fine! This year,  the price is Php1000! And what we get is a not so nice looking shirt. I’m not sure what they’ll do next year. Maybe they’ll charge Php2000 for each photographer.

Anyways, I decided to skip the picture-taking part and just watch the whole show from the grandstand. So, most of the shots from this post are Line’s. Only the last 8 shots are mine.

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Pit Senyor!

Here are this year’s winners:

ELEMENTARY:
5th Place: Santa Filomena Elementary School, Alegria
4th Place: Bogo City Division
3rd Place: San Roque Elementary School, Talisay City
2nd Place: Tuyan Central Elementary School, Naga City, Cebu
Champion: Danao City East District, Danao City Central School
Best in Costume: Danao City East District, Danao City Central School
Best in Musicality: Danao City East District, Danao City Central School

SECONDARY:
5th Place: Maslog National High School, Danao City
4th Place: Medellin National High School
3rd Place: Lawaan National High School, Talisay City
2nd Place: Toledo National Vocational School
Champion: Carcar City Division
Best in Costume: Carcar City Division
Best in Musicality: Carcar City Division

Thanks a lot, Line for sharing your photos!

Kid in full costume – perfect subject. Hehehe.

Aaaarrrgggghhhh!!!!

Big winner: Carcar City Division

Students from Danao celebrating their win.

Someone asked me if I owned a blog. It turned out that he recognized my face. Nice meeting you, sir Dong2x!

Behind the scene: Carcar City Division contingent

The crowd. At Php75 each. You do the math. Hehehe.

Diskoral!

——————-

Fuente Osmeña is all set for the grandest festival in the Philippines! Viva! Pit Senyor!

Bambi Cooking Oil’s display right in front of the Fuente Clock.

Picture-picture!

The display and the giants of Fuente.

The image of the Niño on top of the display.

EXTRA: The christmas tree inside the circle.

Just a few meters from Bambi’s display, in front of Robinson’s Place Cebu, is St. Cecilia’s College, Inc’s display.

This year, their display presented the top spots and attractions in the Philippines. Right in the very center, of course, is the image of the Niño as well as the Magellan’s Cross kiosk.

There’s also the Rizal Monument in Manila.

Lapu-lapu’s Monument in Mactan.

Surfing in Siargao and the Vinta in Mindanao.

There’s also the Chicharon of Carcar, the Rosquillos of Liloan, the Kalamay of Bohol, and the export-quality bananas of Davao.

A few hundred meters from St. Cecilia’s display is Penshoppe’s awesome display.

Looking really nice.

The display reminds you of age-old cathedrals.

The display and a view of Osmeña Boulevard.

Pit Senyor!

The image of the Niño.

Photo op!

Pit Senyor, mga Sugbuanon!

At around 9 am today, MCPB hit the 2-million mark. Woohoo! Thanks a lot, guys!

Unfortunately, I might not be able to post all the Sinulog photos on time because my computer is still dead and I just found out that my Flickr Pro account (host of all the photos in this blog) has just expired. Hehehe.

But, hey! We’ve reached the 2-million mark. Pit Senyor, mga Sugbuanon!

Here are some of my shots of the procession held just a few hours ago. Hope you like ‘em!

————

Viva! Pit Senyor!

Assembly: 4:15 am

Everyone’s here!

The left side of the street is still asleep. The other side, on the other hand, is stuffed with people.

The carrozza is now in place.

A prayer signals the start of the procession.

Photographers doing their stuff.

Look at that crowd!

The carro of the Niño.

The carro was surrounded by Agustinian priests.

And look at the crowd that followed.

Sea of light. Literally.

Slowly moving towards the Basilica in a very orderly manner.

The Niño.

The carro was beautiful.

Pit Senyor!

Pit Senyor, mga Sugbuanon!