Capitol to have ‘simple activity’ for 451st charter day

Gwen not keen on delivering 2020 SOPA

The Capitol, the seat of the Cebu Provincial Government, along Escario Street in Cebu City. | CDN Digital File Photo

BARILI, Cebu – Cebu province will be commemorating its 451st founding anniversary this Thursday, August 6, 2020, amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

Because of this, the provincial government is planning to hold “simple activities” in line with the event.

“We will be having simple activities considering that there are still restrictions in place. It will only be a one-day affair,” Governor Gwendolyn Garcia told reporters in a press conference on Sunday, August 2, 2020.

Garcia also said she will not be having the annual State of Province Address (SOPA) but rather, she would be delivering a brief speech “with a few words about hope.”

“I am not inclined to deliver the SOPA at a time when everybody knows what state we are in… I’ll be just giving a message to our fellow Cebuanos, a few words of hope in times like this,” she added.

Merriments foregone

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Cebu, the Capitol usually holds a month-long celebration every August in line with the event.

But with quarantine restrictions still in effect in Cebu City, where the seat of the provincial government is situated, Garcia said they will have to forgo the merriments.

This included not inviting mayors to the Capitol and limiting the number of people to attend the ceremonial raising of the flag on Thursday morning.

“I have already asked the mayors not to come to the Capitol. Instead, we will be coordinating with them to simultaneously raise their flags in their cities and municipalities together with our flag-raising ceremony here in Capitol,” explained Garcia.

“And during the flag-raising ceremony, we will be limiting the attendees to myself, the vice-governor, our board members, and department heads,” she added.  /bmjo