‘Christmas feels’ put on hold in Mandaue City; classes remain suspended due to Typhoon Tisoy

The giant Christmas tree at the Mandaue City Heritage Plaza is one of the attractions in the city’s awaited Christmas village. (Rosalie Abatayo)

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Christmas ambiance at the Mandaue City Heritage Park shall wait until Wednesday, December 4, 2019.

The Christmas tree and the lights, which complement the Christmas village adornment in the plaza, make up the Christmas scene that is awaited by every December.

The city government has pushed back the ceremonial lighting of the Christmas tree to Wednesday, from supposedly this evening, December 2, due to the anticipated effects of Typhoon Tisoy.

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City Tourism Officer Manolito Langub said they needed to push back the activity to secure the participants in the program which included senior high school students.

The students, who are members of a choir in a university in the city, were supposed to serenade the attendees of the ceremonial lighting.

“Gi-move nato sa December 4 kay naglain man gud ang panahon. Ang choir, kasagaran nila mga senior high so dili lang nato i-risgo pod,” Langub told CDN Digital.

(We moved it to December 4 because of the bad weather. The choir are composed of senior high school students and we will not risk it and put them in danger.)

The city also declared the suspension of classes from preschool to elementary levels, both in public and private schools, for Tuesday, December 3.

“NO CLASSES In all public and private preschool and Elementary schools in Mandaue City on December 3, 2019, Tuesday due to Typhoon Tisoy,” reads a public advisory in the city’s Public Information Office this evening, December 2.

The Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council also convened earlier today to also discuss the measures that they would take with the anticipated effect of Typhoon Tisoy.

“Pinaagi ni Executive Secretary Atty. Eddu Ibañez, gipadayag niini ang kamandoan ni Mayor Jonas Cortes sa pag-monitor matag karon ug unya sa posible nga pagbaha sa mga bahaonon nga area sa higayon nga mokusog ang uwan ug ang pagbantay sa mga sapa,” the PIO post reads.

(Through the executive secretary, Atty. Eddu Ibañez, he relayed the orders of Mayor Jonas Cortes to regularly monitor the flood-prone areas in case heavy rainfall will be experienced.)/dbs