Organizers gear up for National Youth Day 2019

CEBU, Philippines —  Local organizers of the 2019 National Youth Day are stepping up their preparations for the big religious event that will be hosted for the first time in Cebu.

Frankel Gerard Margallo of the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission on Youth said yesterday that organizers are now busy handling registrations, formulating the program, and coordinating with local officials, among other activities.

He said an organizing committee was already created to man different tasks on finances, general services, program and secretariat. He added there are also hundreds of volunteers helping the committee.

Margallo said the committee has already identified the nine festival sites across Metro Cebu where the main activities like catechesis will be staged.

These sites are Barangay Mabolo for Cebu City north district, Barangay Pardo for Cebu City south district, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, Liloan town, Consolacion town, Talisay City, Minglanilla town, and the City of Naga.

The festival sites are handled by separate organizing teams.

Margallo said team leaders are already in dialogues with the city and municipal mayors.

In Cebu City in particular, where the main events will be held, he said Mayor Tomas Osmeña and the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation officials pledged to support the event.

The opening and closing events are scheduled to be held at the Cebu City Sports Center.

Father Mark Barneso, Commission on Youth chairman, was elated by the warm acceptance and positive response from local officials who committed to provide help through security and venue, and transportation if necessary.

Barneso added assistance from and coordination with the city and municipal governments will also be vital especially on traffic and garbage management.

Margallo said aside from the festival sites, the main organizers have also tapped 36 host parishes that will take care of the accommodations of the delegates. They will look for families who can adopt delegates from outside Metro Cebu during the four-day event.

Margallo said the task will surely be rigorous as organizers are looking at a gathering of thousands of participants.

Around 15,000 delegates from the 86 dioceses in the country are expected to join the nationwide event.

Margallo said since registration started on May 31, around 1,800 individuals from the five dioceses have expressed their intention to participate in the religious activity slated on April 24 to 28, 2019.

Registration will end on December 8, he said, encouraging more of the youth to take the opportunity to experiencing a wonderful encounter that will expose attendees to the distinct culture and religious tradition of Cebu, which is considered the cradle of Christianity in the country.

The event will be held in Cebu for the first time since the NYD was conceived in 1986.

Margallo said that it is very timely since in 2019 the Philippine Catholic Church will focus on its pastoral thrust on the "Year of the Youth," which is part of the journey towards the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in 2021.

Margallo said organizers are up to the challenge of making the event meaningful and fruitful after the successful hosting of the 51st International Eucharist Congress also held in Cebu in 2016.

Barneso said the organizers invited officials from the Catholic Church hierarchy such as Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, papal nuncio to the Philippines. He is asked to celebrate the closing Mass.

He said prelates all over the country, especially the officials of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, are also being invited. —BRP (FREEMAN)