CEBU Archbishop Alberto Uy joins a prayer rally on Sunday, Nov. 30, in Cebu City. (Archdiocese of Cebu)
CEBU CITY – Thousands showed up for the anti-corruption rally here on Sunday, Nov. 30.
The prayer rally was held peacefully with zero reported incidents during the event.
“We had zero incidents. No untoward incident, not even a single case of theft and eight focus crimes happened within the vicinity of the places of engagement,” said Police Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan, chief of the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7).
Maranan said more than 2,000 police personnel were deployed to ensure the peaceful conduct of the event, which started with a Mass at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño and ended with a program at the Fuente Osmena Circle.
Maranan said 4,000 to 5,000 people joined the rally.
But City Councilor Dave Tumulak, chairman of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the crowd was between 8,000 and 10,000 based on their drone monitoring.
Maranan commended the organizers for ensuring that the event was orderly.
“We are thanking our fellow Cebuanos for being so disciplined. We really saw that while they were expressing their views and exercising their rights, they remained peaceful and observed the policies that we enforced to keep us all safe and secured," added Maranan.
Police Lt. Col. Jose Losbaños, information officer of the Cebu City Police Office, said cause-oriented groups started gathering as early as 8 a.m. on Colon St. Losbaños said police personnel were deployed in Colon as early as 5 a.m.
Cebu Archbishop Alberto Uy joined the event and called out those involved in corruption.
“Sa mga kurakot. Ako mangutana: Duna pa ba mo’y kasing-kasing? Duna pa ba mo’y konsensya? Duna pa ba mo’y Ginoo? (To the corrupt, I will ask you. Do you still have hearts? Do you still have conscience? Do you still have God?)” Uy said.
Uy urged those involved in corruption not only to repent but return what they stole. “In the name of God, I beg you to repent. Face the truth, take responsibility and return what is not yours,” the prelate said.