PCG ship carries image of Child Jesus for Sinulog fluvial parade
A Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship was used to carry the image of the Child Jesus on Saturday, Jan. 14, as part of the fluvial procession for this year’s celebration of the 458th Fiesta Senor Santo Nino and Sinulog Festival along the Mactan Channel in Cebu.

The PCG said that BRP Cabra (MRRV 4409), a multi-role response vessel, served as the official galleon for the Fiesta Senor 2023 Fluvial Procession.
It arrived at 7:30 a.m. at Pier 1 in Cebu City while carrying the blessed images of Senor Santo Nino de Cebu and Our Lady of Guadalupe.


The Coast Guard District Central Visayas (CGDCV) said around 180 vessels and watercraft participated during the fluvial parade which was held again after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The fluvial procession serves as one of the highlights of the Sinulog Festival where statues of Santo Nino are paraded onboard vessels to depict the reception by Cebuano royalties of the holy image of the child Jesus from Spanish missionaries led by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.
The Sinulog Festival, celebrated every third Sunday of January, is one of the biggest religious and cultural festivals among Catholic faithful in honor of the Santo Nino or the statue of the Child Jesus.