The Capitol recognized the immense and invaluable contributions of its government and private sector partners that helped make the month-long 455th founding anniversary celebration of Cebu Province a resounding success.
The “Gabii sa Pasalamat” (A Night of Thanksgiving) on August 31 gave due recognition to Cebu’s mayors for rallying behind the Governor’s call for unity in the province, as well as for leading the way for respective LGU-contingents in delivering “levelled-up” performances in the recently concluded Pasigarbo sa Sugbo 2024.
“What a redemption for 2024 that this Pasigarbo has been. Of all the Pasigarbo since 2008, this is the most astonishing, spectacular, grandest, and truly a celebration of Cebuano pride and indomitable spirit,” Gov. Gwen said in her speech at the Capitol Social Hall.
Aside from plaques of appreciation, each of the 52 participating municipal and city mayor was presented with a framed photo of their respective contingent’s performance during the ritual showdown, as well as his or her framed picture grabbed from the mayor’s introduction video.
The Cebu City Government, headed by Acting Mayor Raymond Garcia, was also recognized by the Capitol for its solidarity and unwavering support in the Pasigabo, allowing it to be held at the Cebu City Sports Center and deploying City Hall personnel to man the traffic, augment medical personnel and first-aid responders, as well as hundreds of technical staff that rendered service not just at the CCSP but also in 30 DepEd schools in the city that were used as billeting quarters.
The Philippine National Police in the region, province, and the city; as well as AFT Joint Task Group Cebu, Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and Bureau of Fire Protection were also recognized for deploying close to 2,000 personnel along the parade route and venue of the Pasigarbo to maintain security as well as peace and order.
Among the agencies of government that became very instrumental in the success of the Pasigarbo were DepEd, LTO, LTFRB; as well as public utility firms VECO and MCWD.
The Pasigarbo’s private suppliers and corporate sponsors were also given plaques of appreciation for their support. These included telcos Globe, Smart-PLDT, Dito, Converge; as well as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nature’s Spring, San Miguel foods, and Purefoods among various others.
“We are also very grateful kanimo, Gov, for giving us a venue to flex our local talent and our local pride,” Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan said.
Lapu-Lapu, though does not fall under the supervisory jurisdiction of Cebu Province, chose to share in the festivities by joining in the Pasigarbo as a competing contingent.
“We are thankful because of your unwavering and incomparable love and leadership to the Cebuanos nga evident gyod kaayo tungod kay tanan lungsod ug dakbayan nakatagamtam sa serbisyo ug mehoras gikan sa Kapitolyo,” Toledo City Mayor Marjorie Perales, for her part, said.
The Capitol also recognized its partners for the success of the inaugural Cebu Investment and Tourism, and Health Summit which was attended by a 20-man delegation from Cebu’s sister-region, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
These partners are the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.
“You have really paved a way to creating a larger gateway to the world,” MCCI president Mark Anthony Ynoc said as he thanked the governor for the opportunity to organize the Cebu Investment and Tourism Summit.
The “Gabii sa Pasalamat” marked the closing ceremonies of Cebu’s 455th founding anniversary month-long celebration. |BJR