Cebu Provincial Governor Gwen Garcia, along with Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, and other officials, convened for a working lunch on May 15 to discuss the Palarong Pambansa 2024./ Sugbo News
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Cebu Provincial Government and highly-urbanized cities have pledged their full support for Cebu City’s upcoming hosting of the Palarong Pambansa in July 2024.
The aim is to transform the event into a significant tourism and economic boost.
At a press conference on May 17, Governor Gwen Garcia announced that Cebu Province, along with cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, will collaborate with Cebu City to ensure the success of the Palarong Pambansa 2024.
“We are willing to help, [Lapu-Lapu City] Mayor Ahong, ang Mandaue City sad. We will help. We will see to it…[After] all I made a commitment to Vice President Sara Duterte,” she said.
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Garcia noted the excellent sports facilities available in various local government units (LGUs) such as Naga, Carcar, Minglanilla, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu City.
She proposed that the events be spread out across these locations to alleviate traffic congestion in Cebu City and to distribute the economic benefits more widely.
“We can spread this out because if these all will be concentrated in Cebu City, we already have very bad traffic here, so this will cause even more traffic congestion,” Garcia said.
On May 15, a working lunch was held at the Governor’s Office attended by Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan, and Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes.
Also present were Cebu City Acting Vice Mayor Dondon Hontiveros, Board Members Glenn Soco and Victoria Corominas-Toribio, and Cebu City OIC Administrator Lawyer Kristine Joyce Batucan.
They discussed the upcoming Palaro and reached a consensus on collaborative efforts to ensure its success.
To finalize the plan, each of the four LGUs will pass resolutions granting their chief executives the authority to sign a memorandum of agreement. This will give legal weight to their joint efforts for the forthcoming national sports event.
“Kani siya, this is really a breath of fresh air nga kitang tanan magtinabangay gyud ta sa Palaro,” Acting Mayor Garcia said.
Cortes and Chan both embraced the proposals. They expressed their readiness to accommodate participants and activities for the Palarong Pambansa.
Chan pointed out that Lapu-Lapu City’s Hoops Dome could be a good place for some events because it recently hosted the East Asia Super League Final Four.
On the other hand, Cortes also volunteered to host sports like arnis and sepak takraw. He highlighted Mandaue City’s recent win in the CVIRAA 2024 Sepak Takraw competition as proof that the city can handle hosting such events.
With Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama currently suspended, the acting mayor displayed a supportive stance towards this collaborative initiative.
Governor Garcia shared that Mayor Garcia was grateful for the assistance from the provincial government.
“Og wala pa to nahitabo nga na suspended na si Rama…I-shout out pa gyud mi…It will not be up to expectations gyud of hosting the Palaro, dili ra baya kay Cebu City ra ang mauwawan, tibuok Cebu baya,” the governor said.
Meanwhile, the collaboration includes not only financial support but also logistical assistance. The provincial government and the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu are committed to providing the necessary resources and facilities to ensure the successful execution of the games. /clorenciana