Festivities in honor of Santo Niño underway in Manila and Cebu

Festivities in honor of the Santo Niño (Child Jesus) got underway early Sunday in Manila and in Cebu province. In Manila, devotees joined a procession in Tondo after a Mass officiated by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, radio dzBB's Mao dela Cruz reported. Devotees placed images of the Santo Niño not only aboard vehicles and fire trucks but also aboard the kuliglig, the makeshift motorized tricycle the city government had tried to ban since 2010. The atmosphere in Tondo was festive even as police kept tight watch against possible troublemakers and snatchers. In Cebu, a report by dzBB affiliate Jasmine Baylosis said police also kept watch over main roads where the grand parade of the Sinulog festival was to be held. Police in Cebu are targeting a zero crime rate for this year's festivities, the report added. Organizers of the Sinulog had expected four million visitors to the event. Also, the report said that as of Sunday, most inns and hotels in Cebu City had been fully booked with visitors hoping to take part in the festivities. — LBG, GMA News