Manila bares calendar for 433rd foundation day

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza has bared the official calendar for the weeklong celebration of the 433rd Araw ng Maynila that would be highlighted by a series of events on June 24, the city’s foundation day.

The celebration of the Araw ng Maynila will start with a Manila Film Festival Barrio Fiesta Star Challenge at the Roxas Boulevard Baywalk at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 19. The event will feature teams composed of the movie stars of the six official entries to this year’s Manila Film Festival and the councilors of their hosts districts competing in traditional Filipino games such as "hulihan ng biik," "palo sebo," tuhugan ng singsing," "basagan ng palayok" and "patintero."

This will be followed by the Diwa ng Lahi at Patnubay ng Sining at the Kalinangan Awards night at 5:30 p.m. on June 21 at the CCP Little Theater, and the Manila Film Festival Premiere night on June 22 at SM Manila at 5 p.m to 6 p.m. and at Robinson’s Place Manila at 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The citywide Manila Film Festival 2004 Motorcade of Stars will be held on June 23. The motorcade will start at Adriatico street in front of the Century Park Hotel at 1 p.m.

This year’s Outstanding Manilans Awards night will be held at 7 p.m. on June 23 at the Manila Hotel. Atienza will lead city officials in honoring Manileños who have brought honor to the city by excelling in their respective fields of profession.

The Araw ng Maynila Big Sale and Food Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 23 and June 24 at the Avenida Rizal Pedestrian Walkway and Shopping Strip.

To liven up the first day of the two-day event that will be officially opened by Atienza, a robotics exhibit by De La Salle University students and an exhibition of the latest inventions of the members of the Manila Innoventions Development Society will also be held. An anti-drug hip-hop dancing competition followed by live band performances will be held starting at 8 p.m. on the first day.

Free shuttle services from the Park and Ride Building in Arroceros street to the Avenida Rizal Pedestrian Walkway and Shopping Strip will be provided to encourage shoppers to go to the sale.

One June 24, Manila’s 433rd foundation day, a Thanksgiving Mass will be held at 7 a.m. at the portion of the Roxas Boulevard Baywalk across Rajah Sulayman Park, to be followed by the inaugural of Mayor Atienza, who will take his oath of office for his third term before Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide.

A luncheon with the city’s barangay chairmen will be held at the Manila Hotel. Entrance to the Manila Zoo, Asia’s first zoological and botanical garden, will be free of charge to the city’s residents on the same day.

Later in the day, there will be a fellowship with barangay chairmen and kagawads at 5 p.m. to be followed the Gabi ng Pasasalamat at the Roxas Boulevard Baywalk. A concert by the three top Filipino tenors — Nolyn Cabahug, Lemuel de la Cruz and Robert Seña — will start at 8 p.m., the climax of which would be a colorful fireworks display at 9 p.m.

The opening ceremony of the 2004 Manila Youth Games will start at 5 p.m. on June 27 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The star-studded Manila Film Festival Awards night will be held at 7 p.m. on June 28 at the Aliw Theater of the CCP Complex.