‘Kasadya sa Downtown’ Set this Thursday

The annual Kasadya sa Downtown which is now on its tenth year will kick off on December 11 Thursday at the oldest Street in the country – Colon Street.

A grand parade scheduled at 5 o’clock in the afternoon will start the activity which will be followed by the formal opening ceremony at the Colon Obelisk.

The activity which is handled by the City’s Downtown Revitalization Project headed by its director George Chu is an initiative of Cebu City Mayor Michael L Rama. It started in 2005 way back Rama’s stint as the city’s Vice Mayor.

Chu underscored in an interview with the BARUGG News that the activity aims to revitalize the city’s downtown area and to bring back the old glory of the oldest street in the Philippines which was used to be the center of trade, commerce, and industry decades ago.

Asked if what is something new this year, Chu revealed that the celebration will be highlighted by the launching of the Christmas Story stations which will be pursued through the Mayor’s mantra of a people privately driven governance, adding that the stations will be handled by the different establishments along the stretch of Colon Street.

Bearing this year’s theme, “Colon: Dalan Sa Kalinaw, Kalambuan ug Kasadya,” the activity is part of the Christmas celebration in the Queen City of the South. It will be participated by the different schools, barangays, and civic organizations comprising the city.

Looking back, the Christmas celebration in the city has officially started after the grand opening of the 13th Pasko sa Sugbo last December 1 this year at the Fuente Circle which was highlighted by the ceremonial lighting of the 127-feet giant Christmas Tree and the spectacular fireworks display.

This year’s Kasadya sa Downtown was originally set last December 6 but it was postponed because of Typhoon Ruby. Everyone is encouraged to witness and partake in the celebration. (Greggy Jiggs P. Senados, Cebu City PIO)