ILOILO City – The first day (Dec. 16) of the traditional nine-day predawn Masses leading to Christmas Day was peaceful throughout Western Visasyas, according to the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).
“We have not recorded Misa de Gallo-related incidents like theft, snatching and other petty crimes,” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis, PRO-6 spokesperson and information officer.
Police units deployed cops to churches to ensure peace and order.
“Our church officials, local government authorities and churchgoers were cooperative,” Solis said.
Iloilo Police Provincial Office director Police Colonel Gilbert Gorero agreed with Solis’ assessment. But he observed that some people were not following the pandemic health safety protocols, particularly physical distancing.
Gorero ordered his police chiefs to talk to church officials on addressing this concern.
He suggested that perhaps churches could hold more than one Misa de Gallo each day “para indi mag ginutok”.
More chairs may also be made available outside churches, Gorero added.
Some churches start Misa de Gallo at 4 a.m., others at 4:30 a.m.
The practice originated in the early days of Spanish rule over the Philippines as a practical compromise for farmers who began work before sunrise to avoid the noonday heat out in the fields. It began in 1669.
Priests began to say Mass in the early mornings instead of the evening novenas more common in the rest of the Hispanic world./PN
