Cebu to prepare Devotees City

THE Cebu City Government is planning to have a devotee city for the thanksgiving mass of the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama left for Rome yesterday but delegated matters regarding the devotee city to his staff.

He wanted Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias to handle the devotee city plan, along with former councilor Edwin Jagmoc.

Cabarrubias will meet today with the stakeholders, including 2Go, which owns the container vans used as sleeping quarters, Campaña Maritima, Visayan Electric Company, Building Maintenance Service, and the Metropolitan Cebu Water District.

Mayor Rama's chief of staff Philip Zafra will also be handling concerns on the Calungsod activity.

Rama met with department heads yesterday before he flew to Rome for Calungsod's canonization.

Thanksgiving

In Cebu City, a national thanksgiving mass will be held at a chapel being built at the South Road Properties on Nov. 30.

The City Council plans to declare the Pedro Calungsod chapel as a historical site, but the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission can do this only after the thanksgiving mass.

Meanwhile, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said she will join the Cebuanos who left for Rome in spirit and prayer for the canonization of Calungsod this Sunday.

Garcia discarded her plan to go to Rome and chose to stay in Cebu for the canonization.

She will hear mass on Sunday, which is also the birthday of her eldest son, Paulo.

“I understand that there are thousands of Cebuanos that left to attend the canonization rights, and I join them in spirit and in prayer for our very first ever Cebuano saint to become a beacon of hope for us Cebuanos, to believe in a bright and blessed future for this province of Cebu,” the governor said yesterday.

National day

The governor thanked President Benigno Aquino III for declaring Oct. 21 as a national day of celebration for the sainthood of Calungsod.

Garcia believed that having Señor Sto. Niño and San Pedro Calungsod, Cebu will continue to be protected and will reach even greater heights of progress and growth.

“Let us all rejoice in this wonderful blessing for us Cebuanos to have our very first Cebuano saint,” Garcia said.

Among those who left for Rome yesterday were Provincial Board Member Alex Binghay (Cebu, 3rd district) and his wife Balamban Vice Mayor Rosario Veloso-Binghay.

Toledo City Vice Mayor Arlene Zambo left together with the couple. Zambo earlier said there are also five Toledo councilors who flew to Rome. (JGA/FMG)