Next year’s Sinulog goes ‘hi-tech’

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2017/12/07/next-years-sinulog-goes-hi-tech-578595
• Saturday, December 9, 2017

By Rona Joyce T. Fernandez

AS the City opts for a more environment-friendly and piracy-proof ticketing system for the Sinulog 2018 activities, passes for the main event will now be sold in the form of chip-encrypted baller bracelets, instead of identification cards (ID).

Despite the new technology, Councilor Dave Tumulak, Sinulog executive committee chairman, assured that there will be no price increase for ticket seats at the grandstand of the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) during the parade on Jan. 21.

“We’re embracing new technology. This is nontransferable, and will make inspections easier and difficult to duplicate,” he told reporters yesterday.

Registration for interested spectators who wish to witness the presentations at the grandstand will be made available next week.

Payments may be made in either banks or online transactions, Tumulak said.

During the grand parade, the councilor said that only those who are part of the communication, production and medical teams will be allowed to wear IDs.

Local media practitioners covering Sinulog activities will also be given separate ID passes.

Passes for the Sinulog sa Lalawigan and Dakbayan, on the other hand, will still be in the form of tickets and will be sold at P100.

Tumulak said the parade will start from Plaza Independencia, instead of the Provincial Capitol, to the CCSC. Street dancing categories will also have mobile judges.

In a separate interview, Sinulog Foundation Inc. executive director Ricky Ballesteros told SunStar Cebu that the ticket prices have not changed from last year.

Green and pink tickets will still cost P1,000; yellow tickets, P1,200; and blue tickets, P2,500. Balikbayan tickets will still be P2,500.

Organizers, though, have yet to finalize the ticketing prices for the Sinulog Festival Queen and Sinulog awarding ceremony.

Participants of the higante and puppeteer contests will have to pay a registration fee of P1,000.

As for the photo contest, registration for “early birds” is now open until Dec. 31 at P3,000. Regular registration will start on Jan. 1 to 19 at P3,500.