Mindanaotoday.com | Oro cops on full alert for ‘Higalaay’ Festival
By: Franck Dick Rosete
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The local police here are on full alert to provide security and to maintain the peace and order for the resumption of the month-long celebration of Higalaay Festival here this month.
Police Maj. Evan Viñas, the spokesperson of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO), in a phone interview Thursday, August 4, said they will deploy police personnel to the scheduled activities of the festival and intensify their security measures for the big events.
The Carnival Street Dance Competition (August 26), Higalaay Street Parade and Floats (August 27) and the coronation night of Miss Cagayan de Oro (August 27) are among the activities where many people flock.
The city police already started their security plan on the first few days this month, and part of the plan includes the number of police personnel to be deployed to various activities.
“We are still preparing for that [referring to the number of police personnel to be deployed] so that we can maximize our 1,020 COCPO personnel. We will maximize the strength of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office,” Viñas said in vernacular.
This year’s Higalaay Festival is the first face-to-face activities after it was canceled in the last two years due to the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Aside from the above-mentioned activities, the city government will also conduct the Religious and Fluvial Procession, Mindanao Fashion Summit, Kahimunan Trade Fair, Kumbira, Oro Photographic Society Exhibit, Higalaay Agri Fair and Garden Show, Heritage Exhibit, Kagay-an Festival Fun Run, Dragon Boat Fiesta Race, and Banda Oro 2022.
The grand launching of Higalaay Festival 2022, spearheaded by the City Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office, will be held at one of the malls here on Friday afternoon, August 5.
As part of the security measures, the COCPO has also directed all of the station commanders of 10 police stations here to monitor their areas of responsibility to monitor barangays that have their own events in line with the celebration.
Viñas urged the public to follow the dos and don’ts during events and strictly follow the minimum public health standards to help the city government in preventing the possible resurgence of positive cases.
“We also called on the public to follow the dos and don’ts that would be implemented by the COCPO such as not wearing cap, sunglasses, long jacket and sharp objects and deadly weapons,” he said.
Aside from protection against the virus, Mayor Rolando Uy, during on Monday’s flag raising, August 1, urged city hall employees as well as the public to get their booster shots as it would help the government to conduct the usual celebrations of the upcoming events.
“Pagpa-booster namo aron magpadayon ug mulahotay ang tanang kalihokan dili lamang sa kasaulogan sa umaabot nga kapistahan kon di sa umaabot ug naandang kasaulugan (Get your booster shots for the continuation and success of all activities not just for the upcoming festival but for the future [events] and usual celebration),” he said
The Higalaay Festival – formerly known as Kagay-an Festival – is a festival held each year in Cagayan de Oro every 28th day of August, celebrating the feast day of St. Augustine, the patron saint of the city.
The word “Higalaay” comes from the Cebuano word “higala” (friend) which was regarded from what the city of Cagayan de Oro is being tagged, the City of Golden Friendship. (MT)
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