A two-kilometer road section in downtown Cebu City has been identified for the planned ‘heritage walk’ in 2021. | Gerard Vincent Francisco
CEBU CITY, Philippines — About two kilometers of road in Cebu City’s downtown area will be transformed into a heritage pathway covering historical sites from Fort San Pedro to the Casa Gorordo Museum in Barangay Parian.
Internationally acclaimed designer Kenneth Cobonpue presented the “heritage walk” project during a news conference this morning, November 13, 2019. The walk is one of the activities in celebration of the 500 years of Christianity in 2021.
“We have worked together with different people to create a project that will live on beyond 2021. It is our gift to the Cebuanos. This is a project that was started by several architects and urban planners since 1997. This is called the heritage walk,” said Cobonpue, head of the Visayan Quincentennial Committee.
The Committee is the government’s arm created for the Visayas leg of preparations for the 500th anniversary of the circumnavigation of the earth and the Christianization of the Philippines.
“What we plan to do is to link all of these and create a walk which starts from Fort San Pedro and goes all the way to (the) Casa Gorordo (Museum),” he added.
The pedestrianization of the streets and the installation of cobblestone pathways and sidewalk lightings are among the modifications that will be introduced to make downtown roads have a similar appearance to heritage walks abroad, Cobonpue said.
Preparations for the heritage walk project is scheduled for completion before 2021, when the country celebrates the quincentennial (500th) anniversary of the arrival of Christianity here.
As soon as the planned modifications are completed, downtown streets will become a venue for walking tours. This will cover Fort San Pedro, Malacañang sa Sugbo, Gotiaoco Building, Cebu City Hall, Magellan’s Cross, Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, the Cathedral Museum, Plaza Humabon, Colon Obelisk, Cebu Heritage Monument in Parian, Yap-San Diego Ancestral house and the Casa Gorordo Museum.
Cobonpue said they are also planning to establish an elevated pathway from the Malacañang Sa Sugbo to the Gotiaoco Building that is located across the City Hall executive building since it would be difficult to close the area to vehicular traffic because it serves as the gateway to the South Road Properties (SRP).
While tourists may be more amenable to explore the city at night when it is cooler, the Archdiocese of Cebu has agreed to open the churches in the evenings to also accommodate tour participants. / dcb