The closing event of the Sinulog Festival 2020 in Cebu City, Philippines 
is the Hubo Mass (Naked Mass) 
where the Holy Child Jesus or the Santo Ni​ño is undressed 
and bathe in Holy Water then dressed again with new vestment. 
It happened at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu. 
And as usual, the Basilica was not only full of people but overflowed to the streets
even when the Hubo Mass was celebrated at 4:00 AM Friday.

The Sinulog Festival Grand Parade 2020 is a parade of all the contingents & floats 
and also the much awaited parade of stars. 
It happened on the 3rd Sunday of January, on the 19th 
with street dancing and a final showdown at the Cebu City Sports Center. 

These are the images during The Solemn Foot Procession 2020 at 1:00 PM Saturday
or the day right before the Sinulog Festival 2020 on Sunday in Cebu City. 
Even with the very hot weather, still countless devotees finished the entire route 
which started at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu 
to Osmeña Boulevard, Colon, Leon Kilat, N. Bacalso, J. Alcantara, 
V. Rama, B. Rodriguez, then to Osmeña Boulevard, P. del Rosario, 
Junquera, Colon, D. Jakosalem, Osmeña Boulevard and back to the Basilica. 

These are images of Walk With Mary 2020 in Cebu City, Philippines 
with so many devotees gathering at the Fuente Osmeña Boulevard 
walking up to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu. 
​This is the 2nd Penitential Procession of the Sinulog Festival 2020
and it started around 4:00 AM on January 17 in good early morning weather. 

Part of the Sinulog Festival 2020 is the Sinulog Sa Kabataan Sa Lalawigan 
that happened a week before the Grand Festival on the 3rd Sunday of January, 
and the Street Parade started from the Capitol Grounds at 1:00 PM January 11
then proceeded to Osmeña Boulevard and ended at the CCSC 
or the Cebu City Sports Center where the showdown happened. 

There were 6 contingents for the Sinulog Sa Kabataan Sa Lalawigan 2020: 

Toledo City, Bogo City, Carcar City, Lapu-Lapu City, Talisay City and Ginatilan, Cebu. 

Sinulog Sa Kabataan Sa Lalawigan 2020 Winners:

Best in Musicality
5th - Toledo City
4th - Bogo City
3rd - Lapu-Lapu City
2nd - Talisay City
1st - Carcar City

Best in Costume
Carcar City

Best in Street dancing
3rd - Lapu-Lapu City
2nd - Carcar City
1st - Talisay City

Ritual Showdown
6th - Ginatilan
5th- Toledo City
4th - Bogo City
3rd - Lapu-Lapu City
2nd - Talisay City
1st - Carcar City

The Grand Launch of the Sinulog Festival 2020 in Cebu City, Philippines 
happened on the 10th of January 
with street parade starting from Plaza Sugbu (between the Basilica and City Hall)
passing through Osmeña Boulevard and end at the CCSC
or the Cebu City Sports Center. 
The contingents from different schools in the city 
danced all the way to the CCSC where the showdown happened. 
They filled the streets with spectators feasting their eyes on the costumes 
and fully entertained by the dance routines and the sounds of the drums and bugle. 

The event also launched the addition of Sinulog Sa Palaboy 
and the Drum And Bugle Competition.

Walk With Jesus 2020 is the 1st Penitential Procession 
of the Sinulog Festival 2020 and the Opening Salvo. 
It started at the Fuente Osmeña Rotunda then to the Osmeña Boulevard 
and ended at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. 
Thousands of devotees gathered at the Rotunda
as early as 3:00 AM or even earlier 
and even with the light to moderate downpour, 
the huge crowd completed the whole route of the Penitential Walk.

These Christmas Lights right here at the Mandaue City Plaza, 
which is right across the City Hall and St. Joseph Church, 
are amazing at night with people coming for pics and videos. 
One is shaped like a ball or more of a mistletoe, 
and another one is a cube, like a gift box. 
There's also a tall Christmas Tree and a lot more lights. 

This is a perfect place to hang around with family or friends, 
or go on a date with someone special. 
Sit around the benches you can find within the plaza 
and spend the night immersed in these wonderful Christmas Lights. 
A good weather will produce a starry night 
which will be the best time to visit the Mandaue Centro Plaza. 

Here comes the time of the year again 
just before Christmas 
when Filipinos gather very early in the morning 
to  attend the Holy Mass for 9 consecutive days 
called Misa de Gallo 
beginning on the 16th of December.
Devotees come to the church as early as 2:00 AM
that's hours before the church opens. 
This time, 
I arrived at the church right before 3:30 AM 
and there were already people waiting outside the gates. 
There were some rains but they didn't last long 
and not that heavy. 
​
The Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu 
has always been drawing a huge crowd 
and the biggest crowd during the 1st day 
and the last day on the 24th of December.

Devotees crowded the Parish of Virgen dela Regla 
in Opon, Mactan Island, Cebu on November 21 Thursday 
during its Feast.
There could have been more crowd 
if the feast falls on a weekend, 
but still the number of people was remarkable. 
And right outside the Parish 
were businesses benefiting from the overflowing crowds. 
It was such a great sight to behold 
when people still celebrated the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
no matter how busy they were. 
Abundant blessing are sure to come! 
​Happy Fiesta Virgen dela Regla!

Cebu City's Agri-Bonanza 2019 
is brought to you by the Cebu City Government 
featuring produce from farmers of upland barangays. 
This is the 10th annual event 
held at the Plaza Sugbo, 
a park in between the Cebu City Hall 
and the Magellan's Cross 
right outside the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. 

This annual event recognizes the role of farmers 
in the city's economy 
and showcasing their produce
so that hotels and restaurants may want to source from them. 

The event happens from November 20-22, 2019. 
​Visit when you have time.

If you happen to visit Virgen dela Regla Parish 
in Opon, Mactan Island, Cebu, 
you can't miss this large Kalachuchi or Plumeria tree 
right beside the church. 
It's big and old and it doesn't stand straight up 
but growing crooked 
and there's some wall on the floor that supports 
because it may topple down with its massive weight. 
It's a great plant to behold 
especially when its flowers are blooming all over. 

This Narra Tree can be found at Opon Plaza, 
a garden plaza right outside Nuestra Señora Virgen Dela Regla​
in Lapu-lapu City in Mactan Island, Cebu. 
Planted by Mariano S. Dimataga or Dodong Oping 
​when he became mayor of Opong in 1938. 
​Read more below. 

Trees like this one are safe from road widening projects 
 being inside a plaza. 
But I noticed that there are vines going up some branches 
and choking the leaves. 
Somebody has to remove the vines 
or will kill off the branches. 

Anyways, 
big, old trees are natural treasures 
which bear witnesses to the history of the place 
​for as long as they have grown. 

Wasps are insects that look like bees or ants 
but they are neither of the two. 

I happened to watch a potter wasp in the house 
bringing a ball of wet mud
and was about to build its nest on the wall.  
It's so called potter 
because of the pot-shaped nest 
it builds from wet mud. 
Its young or larva which is yellow-green in color,
is delivered inside the pot and fed with some insect
before sealing off the nest entrance. 

These are termite excrement or droppings 
and they are called frass. 
When you see a heap of these on the floor 
or anywhere else in the house, 
you know that you're infested with drywood termites, 
those wood-eating insects 
that are often called the "silent destroyer" 
because they secretly thrive in furnitures and walls  
without seeing immediate signs of damage
until weeks or months later. 
Although there are many types of termites, 
the pellets below are from drywood termites.

When termites make its home inside walls 
or anywhere around the house, 
they excrete these pellets after consuming wood 
and push them out of their holes 
that's why you see countless of these on the floor. 
Each is about a millimeter in length 
with rounded corners. 
Even though one is fascinated by these pellets 
that look like sand, 
they already show the extensive damage caused.