It’s a ‘Tree of Hope’ for a better year ahead

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña leads the lighting of the 128-foot Christmas Tree at the Fuente Osmeña Park together with spouses Michel and Amparito Lhuillier. Also present is Cebu City Councilor Margot Osmeña, the mayor’s wife.
CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO

Fuente Osmeña Christmas lighting ceremony 2017

As has been the tradition in Cebu City, the giant Christmas Tree at the Fuente Osmeña Park was lighted on the first day of December to herald in the Christmas season.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, along with several councilors, led the count down to the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony last night, together with the members of the Lhullier family, who have been behind the nearly two decades of “Pasko sa Sugbo” event at Fuente Osmeña.

For the past 17 years, it has been the tradition of the Lhuillier Group of Companies to host the “Pasko sa Sugbo.”

This year’s tree is called “The Tree of Hope,” which symbolizes the hope of the Cebuanos as they face economic challenges and who have shown resilience in the face of calamities.

In his opening message, Osmeña thanked the Lhuilliers and the Cebuanos who crowded the Fuente Osmeña Park, awaiting for the lightning of the Tree of Hope.

“Next year, I promise, it would be better than this year,” the mayor said.

By this, the mayor said the city will have better public service facilities in 2018, with better road projects on the pipeline and with a centralized garbage collection system, among others.

He said the goal of his administration is to ensure that Cebu City will remain peaceful and safe place for all its residents and visitors.

“Christmas is the time for celebration, of being grateful what you have, the time to get together with friends and family and it is universal, because it goes beyond the Catholics,” said Mayor Osmeña.

Michelle Lhuillier, the family’s patriarch, said the Tree of Hope also symbolizes the lasting relationship between the Lhuillier family and the Cebuanos.

For this year’s Christmas celebration, the Lhuillier group of Companies promised various night events and presentations that will take place at Plaza Independencia in downtown Cebu City starting this year.

Tallest, grandest

This year’s Christmas tree, at 128 feet, is the tallest so far built in Fuente Osmeña.

Bernardino Adiong, 70, who has been designing the Garbo sa Sugbo Christmas tree since the Lhuilliers hosted the annual event, said that about 3,000 pieces of ball lights and 100 pieces of focused light bulbs were used to light the tree.

A 30-inch image of the Señor Sto. Niño is placed on top of the tree.

“The Sto. Niño is the true hope of the Cebuanos, and I hope that whenever they look up to this tree, the spirit of Christmas may still be in their hearts, no matter what they are going through,” Adiong said.

The event started with an invocation from the Cebu City Children’s Choir.

The crowd was serenaded by Cebuano talents like the Maka Girls, followed by the dancesport presentation from The Dynamic Dancesport Team of Cebu City and a cultural dance from the city’s own performing arts group.