Kadaugan: More events, no road closures

The reenactment of the Kadaugan sa Mactan will be the main event of the 14-day festival on Mactan Island.
CDN FILE PHOTO

Rampada, Battle of Mactan reenactment lead 60 events
in Kadaugan sa Mactan Festival

This year’s Kadaugan sa Mactan Festival will offer new attractions and more participants, but unlike previous Kadaugan celebrations, there will be no road closures because the venues for the different events will be spread in six areas in Lapu-Lapu City.

The Kadaugan sa Mactan will start on April 17 and end on April 30.

The Dragon Boat race, which will be held from April 28 to 30, is one of the new events in the festival. The race will be held at the Mactan Channel and will involve around 80 boats from 37 teams and visitors from other countries.

Lapu-Lapu City Acting Vice Mayor Harry Don Radaza said during a press briefing last week that they will divide at least 60 different events in five venues: the City Hall grounds, the Hoops Dome area, the MEPZ Soccer Field, Cebu Yacht Club and Kasamahan Wharf, the City Auditorium and the Liberty Shrine.

“We are still not closing roads so as not to distract the traffic and avoid very large crowd due to security issues,” said Radaza.

Despite this, he said that the fun in joining the celebration continues as more attractions are being added, which will include a benefit run for a child with congenital heart defect.

The Kadaugan Street Party, which will be held at Hoops Dome from April 21 to 29, still highlights the Rampada (Brazilian Style Street Dancing) competition, which will have nine participating groups for each of the Barangay and Open categories, with around P2 million in prizes.

Aside from that, there will be 51 participants for the food festival that will offer food, beverages and desserts with prices that are more affordable than when these food items are sold in hotels, according to Lapu-Lapu City Tourism Officer Hembler Mendoza.

There will be nightly performances of entertainment groups from a Mactan hotel, he added.

Entertainment groups from the JPark Island Resort will be among those who will perform in the nightly shows, said the hotel’s information officer, Ren Orao.

During the Kadaugan sa Mactan reenactment on April 30, Datu Lapu-Lapu will be played by Tony Labrusca, Pinoy Boy Band Superstar finalist of ABS-CBN, while Magellan will be portrayed by James Ryan Cesena, a Pinoy Boyband Superstar contestant who is from California. Actress Kris Bernal, a GMA Kapuso star, will play Reyna Bulakna, added Mendoza.

Senior Supt. Rommel Cabagnot said he would request more police officers to help secure all the events in the festival.

Medical teams to be led by Lapu-Lapu City Health Officer Rodolfo Berame will be deployed to the different events for the duration of the festival.