No work, no classes due to ‘Peace Rally’ in CdeO

MindanaoToday.com | No work, no classes due to ‘Peace Rally’ in CdeO

By :Uriel Quilinguing

CAGAYAN DE ORO – City Mayor Rolando Uy yesterday morning ordered the suspensions of work at the City Hall and of classes in all public schools today as thousands of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) members across Northern Mindanao region gather here for “National Rally for Peace.”

The order was issued “in order to maintain peace and order and preserve the comfort and convenience of students, parents, and residents,” according to an advisory which the City Information Office (CIO) posted online yesterday.

Jesuit-run Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan and Religious of the Virgin Mary-owned Lourdes College also issued advisories on work and class suspensions, hours after the local chief executive issued the directive.

With expected 30,000 participants in 2,000 vehicles, the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) had announced the closures of streets within the vicinity of the City Amphitheater and about half of the Golden Friendship Park (Divisoria) and a rerouting scheme.

There will be no communication signal for 10 hours, starting at 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. within the Divisoria area, as part of the safety measures,

With this, the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) informed its customers that there will be no collection of water bill payments today, most of these are online transactions.

Incidentally, checkpoints at eastern and western borders of this city were installed yesterday and being manned round-the-clock by police, military and the Commission on Elections for gun-ban implementation.

However, city government personnel whose functions involve the delivery of basic and health services, preparedness and response to disasters and calamities are required to report and render the necessary services.

Supervising District Minister Alnorfo Jurada, who attended the coordination meeting with city government department heads, and the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO) on Friday, January 10, said participants are from Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, and Misamis Oriental provinces.

Those from Misamis Occidental would be joining the “peace rally” in Pagadian City for the Zamboanga Peninsula region.

One of the agreements in the meeting was to utilize the Rio de Oro Boulevard as drop-off and pick-up area for all peace rally participants. Their vehicles will also be parked there.

Jurada said similar peace rallies will be held in other parts of the country, participated in by more than 2.3 million INC members, including those abroad.  [Uriel Quilinguing/MT]

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