Annual festival at SRP - Bañacia

CEBU, Philippines - The scheduled launching of the South Road Properties next month will be an event that Cebu City residents and even those in the province can look forward to every year because the city government is planning to make it an annual festival.

 SRP manager Nagiel Bañacia said that the proposed and long overdue launching of the project will not only be a mere launching because they are planning to make it an annual Cebu Summer Festival.

Bañacia said that preparations are ongoing to a grand week-long activity set on the first week of May.

According to the original plan, there will be a barbecue party with a long barbecue line similar to the one done by the city hall in its attempt in 2004 to break the Guinness Record of having the longest barbecue grill.

The first attempt failed but though the city wants to vie for the record again, the activity will not permit it because they have to break the line for the smooth flow of traffic at the SRP during the culmination on May 8.

However, the plan to break the record of the most number of rockets launched in 60 seconds will push through. A total of 120,000 rockets will be lighted in one minute by the Pyroworks company.

Prior to these highlights, the city will be organizing several ball games competitions like soccer, volleyball, football and softball. Other sports will be boxing, drag racing and motocross.

Sports competition is set on the first two days of the event. Bañacia said that SRP will not be closed for the drag racing so the flow of traffic will not be disrupted. On the third day, the city hall will organize an agricultural fair.

The carnival and the bazaar will be at the SRP daily during the week-long festival.

“We will have a carnival, so naa’y ferris wheel, roller coaster, horror booth ug uban pa,” Bañacia said.

He added that buses will be plying back and forth to SRP from city hall, Mambaling, Tisa and other identified areas where Kaohsiung buses will pick up passengers.

“There will also be scheduled pick up sa barangays, so there will be enough transportation,” Bañacia said.

Just like in 2004, for the long barbecue, the urban poor will be tasked to distribute meal coupons worth P25 which will entitle the holders to a puso and three sticks of barbecue.

Bañacia said that they are working on arranging for a mini band concert every night.

 During the culmination, the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) will be given the chance to hold a thanksgiving party. Bañacia said that only Mayor Tomas Osmeña will be allowed to deliver a speech to thank those who have helped the BOPK campaign and those who will support them in the coming elections.

 “The mayor will just thank the people, no other political speech,” Bañacia assured to discard the speculations that the event is only a form of political campaigning.