Mayor: ‘Lewd acts’ were not

committed by local residents

In response to viral videos taken during this year’s Cadiz City’s Dinagsa Festival that showed young people committing “lewd acts,” along with at least 10 individuals spotted holding placards with indecent slogans and messages, Mayor Salvador Escalante, Jr. insisted the pair involved in the obscene act were not city residents and blamed it on a security failure.
“There was a failure in event security that gave way to such immoral acts,” the mayor stressed. “[On] behalf of Cadiz City, I am apologizing to the public for what happened; it is [a] lesson learned that will not be repeated next year.
He went on to say the city government does not tolerate such acts.
In terms of the individuals holding up the inappropriate placards, Escalante said they were also from outside the city and have since been identified.
“I also saw some people carrying those placards,” he added. “I asked them to throw those away so others will not see it.”
The mayor said the individuals in question were likely intoxicated and seeking attention.
Meanwhile, despite claiming the festival was given a “negative color,” Escalante called the event “successful and peaceful.”
Last week, an estimated P3.5 million worth of suspected shabu was seized following a buy-bust operation at Menlo Village in Talisay City’s Barangay Zone 10.
Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office director, Police Colonel Romeo Baleros, believes the drugs they seized were bound for Cadiz City for distribution during the Dinagsa Festival./DGB, WDJ