Cebu to mark ‘very, very simple’ founding anniversary

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu will mark its 451st founding anniversary as a province tomorrow, August 6, but there won’t be any fanfare, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said.

“(It will be) a very, very simple celebration. I don’t know if you can call it a celebration actually, because we are still in the midst of this pandemic,” Garcia said.

The celebration will start with a flag ceremony that will only be attended by Garcia, Vice Governor Hilario Davide III, Provincial Board members and the department heads.

Garcia added that they have decided not to ask the mayors from the towns and the cities to come to the Capitol in keeping with the movement restrictions and protocols on social distancing, among others.

After the flag ceremony, a mass and a “simple lunch” will follow at the Governor’s Office.

Garcia said that offices in the Capitol may come up with their own meals as part of the celebration.

“The offices may probably come up with their own lunches pero in a very, very sparse way. Besides, nibalik man ta sa 50% skeletal workforce so we don’t expect a lot of employees coming,” she said.

No Sopa

However, Garcia is not expected to deliver her State of the Province Address during the occasion.

“I am not inclined to deliver a SOPA at this point in time when everybody knows what state we are in,” she said.

She added that the Capitol continues to assess the pandemic and find ways to better move forward to a new normal.

Though SOPA will be ditched, Garcia will nonetheless deliver a “message of hope” to the Cebuanos.

As part of the highlights of the anniversary, the annual agricultural fair returns to the Capitol, which features different farm products from the cities and municipalities of Cebu.

Cebu was founded on August 6, 1569. It is the fourth most populous province in the country based on the 2015 census with nearly three million inhabitants.

The province is also one of the vote-richest with over 1.9 million eligible voters as of 2016. Excluding its independent cities, Cebu has a total land area of 4,943 square kilometers, which is the 20th biggest among the provinces in the country. — KQD (FREEMAN)