Carcar celebrates 5th charter year

CEBU, Philippines - It is a non-working holiday in Carcar City today as the local government unit celebrates its fifth charter anniversary.

Carcar Mayor Nicepuro Apura said the highlight of the celebration will be the awarding of the city’s outstanding men and women.

Apura said the recognition is intended to confer honor and prestige to Carcaranons who have attained exceptional achievements in the fields of medicines, law, education and engineering. The number of awardees will be known tonight during the awarding ceremonies.

Cebu 1st District Rep. Eduardo Gullas said July 7 has been declared a “non-working holiday” so that the city government would no longer have to issue a memorandum every year.

Gullas told Apura that the city would soon have a state college, which will be pattered after the colleges in San Fernando and Sibonga. Gullas targets to build a state college in the six local government units in the 1st District before his term as congressman ends next year.

So far, only Talisay City has a state college. The school in Naga is scheduled to open next year, which will be followed by a campus in Minglanilla.

Aside from the state college, and if plans push through, Carcar will also have its own branches of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) and a Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC), Gullas said. Separate bills have been filed in the House of Representatives for the creation of the branches.

Carcar has a district hospital, but instead of turning it into a provincial hospital, Gullas said he wants to convert the same into a medical center so it can get funds not only from the provincial government, but also from the national government.

Moreover, Gullas has filed Carcar House Bill 528 or Carcar City’s Cultural Heritage Act of 2010 to ensure that the historical sites in the city will be protected.

Carcar, located about 39.9 kilometers south of Cebu City, is considered a heritage city because it is home to various Spanish and American period structures. At its plaza is the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria, which was erected in 1876 and just a walking distance away are many century-old houses, which include, among others, the famous “Balay Na Tisa” built in 1859.

In the middle of the city’s plaza is the colonial-inspired kiosk or the rotunda, considered as a landmark.

Carcar became a component city in July 1, 2007, but the City Council passed a resolution changing the commemoration date to July 7, 2007 (7-7-7) for “easy recall.”

It was Gullas who authored Republic Act 9436, the Carcar Cityhood Law.  (FREEMAN)