Fainting, injuries reported as thousands flock to Cebu City concert

Several fans were allegedly injured and minimum public health standards were supposedly disregarded as thousands flocked to a free concert in Cebu City.

According to a 24 Oras Weekend report on Sunday, concertgoers were seen pushing and shoving their way into the venue, while others climbed over barricades at the concert featuring several local artists.

Physical distancing was ignored, with some people reportedly not wearing face masks.

Some locals were also said to have fainted while others were injured.

Police said there were about 100,000 individuals who attended the concert set up by a private organization.

Cebu City Police Office Deputy Director for Operations Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, however, said no stampede occurred. People were just got excited to attend an event after two years of COVID-19 restrictions.

For their part, Arat na Cebu Organizer Barney Borja maintained that minimum public health standards were observed and there were no major incidents or petty crimes that were reported during the concert.

“Anxiety was no longer seen in the faces of concertgoers as they went to the jam-packed stadium armed with a sense of shared responsibility and observing minimum health standards by wearing a mask while enjoying,” Borja noted in a statement. — Giselle Ombay/DVM, GMA News