Favorites like the horse-drawn carriage rides and other attractions and free bus rides in last year’s Gabii sa Kabilin or Heritage Night in Metro Cebu await visitors in this year’s annual event. (CDN File Photos)
Several streets of downtown Cebu City will be temporarily closed starting 5 p.m. today for the annual “Gabii sa Kabilin.”
Joy Tumulak, Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) operations chief, said the night market will be cancelled since the entire Colon Street will be closed for today tomorrow’s event.
Also closed are Mabini Street, Bonifacio Street, Lopez Jaena Street, some portions of MC Briones including those at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, the Basilica Minore del Sto Niño and the Compaña Maritima.
Tumulak said only tartanilla or horse-drawn carriage, buses and barangay service vehicles from the cities of Talisay, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Cebu are allowed by the organizers to pass through.
Passenger jeepneys are only allowed on some streets.
Contingency
“For example, if the jeepney came from the south, they are required to stop at Leon Kilat and P. Lopez streets,” Tumulak said.
Motorists are advised to avoid these streets.
Tumulak said they will open the streets depending on the crowd.
“If the crowd is manageable we’ll slowly open the streets,” he said.
The opening program of the Night of Heritage will take place at 5 p.m. at the Buddhist temple in V. Rama Avenue, the FGS Chu Un Temple.
Fire damcers entertain the participants of the Gabii sa Kabilin last year. (CDN FILE PHOTO)
In a press statement, Joel Garganera, head of the communications, transportation and security detail of the event, said they have first responders to deal with any contingency.
Gabii sa Kabilin, now on its 9th year, regales visitors with cultural performances, culinary activities, art fairs and special exhibits. It is spearheaded by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. or RAFI.
Today about 37 heritage sites in the cities of Cebu, Talisay, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu will be open to the public from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight. However, children can go to selected heritage sites as early as 4 p.m., Garganera said.
“We are better prepared right now. Rightly so because we are expecting more participants, around 5,000 people,” Garganera said.
RAFI partnered with the Visayan Electric Co. (VECO) to ensure the safety of visitors to the Gabii sa Kabilin.
“Veco placed people on standby to help us in the risk management on the event night itself,” Dr. Jocelyn Gerra, RAFI’s executive director for Culture and Heritage said.
Veco corporate communications manager Theresa Gonzales-Sederiosa said visitors to the Yap-Sandiego ancestral abode are limited to groups of five to eight people.
Destinations
Gabii sa Kabilin personnel like bus drivers, tanods and communicators were trained on fire safety, CPR and bleeding management, Garganera said.
Favorites like the horse-drawn carriage rides and other attractions and free bus rides in last year’s Gabii sa Kabilin or Heritage Night in Metro Cebu await visitors in this year’s annual event.
(CDN File Photos)
He said 30 buses will fetch guests to different heritage sites like the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, Rizal Memorial Library, Museo sa Sugbo and others in Cebu City.
Guests can purchase a P150 ticket for admission to all museums, a tartanilla trip within the city’s old Parian district, and unlimited rides on designated buses.
For detailed information on the destinations and their programs, the Gabii sa Kabilin e-guide can be downloaded from www.rafi.org.ph or at the RAFI Facebook page.