Thursday, April 17, 2008 Celebrities, dance fest at Kadaugan
APART from the celebrity power of boxing hero Manny Pacquiao, Kadau-gan sa Mactan organizers were able to convince actor Dennis Trillo to take part in next week’s reenactment of the famous battle.
Trillo will play the role of Portuguese conqueror Ferdinand Magellan opposite Pacquiao who will be Datu Lapu-Lapu on April 27.
A billiard exhibition by 2006 Asean nine ball and eight ball gold medalist Gaga Gabica, a dance festival, a trade fair by different hotels and restaurants and a coastal clean up starting on April 20.
Because of the prestige of the weeklong affair, which takes off Monday next week, the city allotted this year an additional P1 million to the initial release of P791,000, which was already released for the honorarium, meal and transportation and props of the performers in the reenactment.
Pagcor and the Department of Tourism are helping defray the cost of the activities with their cash aid of P200,000 and P100,000, respectively.
“I do not see any chances that we will exceed from the budget. As much as we could, we give an amount for each program according to the need,” City Councilor and Tourism Commission Chairman Damian Gomez said in a press conference yesterday at a hotel in Lapu-Lapu City.
Talent fee
Trillo will get P100,000 as talent fee, while Pac-quiao will be performing for free.
However, Pacquiao offered to promote a boxing bout between local fighters and amateur sluggers from South Korea.
The Kadaugan sa Mactan became an institution only this year after it got the active participation of hotel and resort owners and locators at the Mactan Economic Zone, who agreed to hold a food festival and a trade fair at the Mactan Shrine.
A street dance festival, which will be held for the first time, will also highlight the affair.
Contingents from the four big hotels in the city, Pagcor and the Mactan Cebu International Airport will demonstrate dances of freestyle ethnic or Spanish influence on a 1.5-kilometer stretch, starting from the grounds of St. Joseph High School to the Mactan Shrine.
President Arroyo could not attend the celebration. But Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita will attend in her behalf.
Swimming
Tourism Commissioner Rudy Villanobos said they have invited Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco Bus-tamante to play exhibition billiard games, but they didn’t get a go-signal from San Miguel Corp., which which holds their contract.
But organizers will feature a swimming and boat paddle competition across the Mactan Channel.
Villanobos said that there are already seven persons who have registered for the swimming competition from the Ouano wharf in the Mandaue City side to Muelle Osmeña wharf in Lapu-Lapu City.
The safety of the vessels entering the Mactan Channel will be overseen by the Cebu Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy.
“At the duration of the competition, no vessels will be allowed to enter the Mactan Channel,” he said. (AIV)
