Pomp, pageantry color Presidencia

The MANDAUE Presidencia’s 75th anniversary celebration last Wednesday night was a red carpet event attended by officials and employees wearing the national costume.

A fashion show featuring the creations of Cebu’s top designers, the unveiling of a coffee table book about the city, the lighting of the Mandaue Presidencia and a fireworks display were the highlights of the celebration, which was held in front of the historical structure.

Some residents watched from the sidelines, as the venue was not open to the public.

“The Presidencia is a monument of profound significance to the people of Mandaue,” Mayor Jonas Cortes said in a speech.

He said the building is “a symbol of rich heritage, strong community values and political stability that characterize the City of Mandaue and its people.”

The coffee table book, for which the City spent P1.3 million, details the City’s “past, present and future,” City Treasurer Regal Oliva said in an earlier press conference.

Titled “Mandaue: Our Home, Our Pride, Our Future,” the book will be sold at P3,000 each, but free copies will be given to schools and official guests. The City will produce 1,000 copies of the 200-page book.

Liberal Party (LP) members attended the event. Among them was LP provincial chair and gubernatorial aspirant Hilario Davide III, who read a message of President Benigno Aquino III.

Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, Board Members Thadeo Ouano and Arleigh Sitoy, and sixth district congressman Luigi Quisumbing were also present.

“Mandaue City shines at the heart of the Visayas region, a vibrant model for community-building and development in this globalized milieu,” read President Aquino’s message.

Located in Barangay Centro, the Mandaue Presidencia or the City Hall was inaugurated on Sept. 12, 1937 during the term of Sotero Cabahug as Cebu governor.

The structure is considered a heritage site by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.