Neri: Festivities at the Capitol

IT WAS a red-letter Saturday at the Provincial Capitol when the Province celebrated its 441st Founding Anniversary. The Governor’s Ball and the Garbo sa Sugbo Awards were the order of the evening. Gov. Gwen Garcia took centerstage as she welcomed the awardees and guests at the patio of the main entrance of the Capitol building where the guests had cocktails before proceeding to the Social Hall for the program and dinner.

This year, for the first time, the province of Cebu conferred its highest award called the Order of Lapulapu, to Cebu Archbishop Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal.

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Garbo sa Sugbo awardees included business leaders John Gokongwei Jr. (chairman emeritus of JG Summit Holdings) and Norberto Quisumbing, Jr. (chairman of the Norkis Group of Companies) for their achievement in entrepenuership; Energy Sec. Jose Rene Almendras (corporate leadership); artist Sofronio Y. Mendoza (contemporary visual arts); University of San Carlos educators Resil Mojares (contributions in Cebuano literature and history) and Dr. Ramon del Fierro (for the promotion and development of higher education); and singer Dulce who showed her outstanding talent in a song.

Among those recognized in special citations were Cebu Normal University and Cebu Technological University because of their support to the province’ scholarship program for valedictorians; and St. Benedict Childhood Education Center who got the gold medal in contemporary music and the silver medal in the Children’s Choir and Music of the Religions category in the recent 6th World Choir competition in Shaoxing, China.

The celebration was capped with a grand fireworks display.