Open water swimmer Cleevan Alegres (right) during his recent visit to Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan at the latter’s office at the Lapu-Lapu city hall. | Photo courtesy of Junard “Ahong” Chan
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — An Oponganon will try to make history by swimming around Mactan Island in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the historic Battle of Mactan.
In a Facebook post, Mayor Junard Chan said that Cleevan Alegres, an open water swimmer from Barangay Maribago, is set to make his swim on April 24 or three days ahead of the Battle of Mactan commemoration.
Alegres will swim a distance of 42 kilometers in 18 hours.
If he is able to achieve this feat, he will be the first Oponganon to circumnavigate Mactan Island.
“Ato kining gihangop kay agi kini og paghatag og pasidungog sa atong bayani nga si Lapulapu,” Chan said.
(We appreciate this attempt [to swim around Mactan Island] because this will be done in honor of our hero, Lapulapu.)
Read: Enjoy summer in Brgy San Vicente, Olango Island
But before he does that, Chan said that Alegres plans to swim around Olango Island that is located off mainland Mactan on April 4.
Swimming around Olango Island has a distance of about 19 to 21 kilometers.
Read: In Photos: Exploring Olango Island
“Atong gipaabot ni Cleevan nga muhatag ta sa tukmang suporta nga iyang gikinahanglan aron magmalampuson siya ning makasaysayan nga paglangoy tuyok sa Isla sa Mactan,” Chan said.
(I promised to give the needed support to Cleevan so that he will succeed in making his historic swim around the Island of Mactan.)
/dbs
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