‘Kadaugan sa Mactan’ Kicks Off

Lapu-Lapu City– The celebration of the 494th year of the “Kadaugan sa Mactan” (Victory in Mactan) kicked off last Sunday.

The celebration will be capped with the re-enactment of the Battle of Mactan on April 17, which saw Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan killed by Mactan chieftain Datu Lapu-Lapu.

The Office of the President has declared April 27 as a special non-working holiday in Lapu-Lapu City.

The celebration opened with the Kadaugan Food Festival, wherein 22 big establishments and 19 small food stalls showcased their best cuisines at the Mactan Shrine in Barangay Mactan.

Lapu-Lapu City tourism chief Hembler Mendoza said the area will be expanded to accommodate more visitors and the public.

He said the venue’s congestion was one of the complaints raised during last year’s show.

About half a million of individuals joined the festival last year and more than that number are expected to join this year, he said.

Organizers assured they will tap all available resources to maintain peace and order during the occasion.

Police Superintendent Marcial Yangua, tourist police chief of operations, said they will be deploying more than 1,000 police personnel to ensure security.

Street parties, beer bottles, breakable glass and pointed barbecue sticks will still be banned within the perimeter of the streets for safety purposes.

Medical responders and ambulances will be stationed for the event. (PNA) CTB/EB/PJN