THE Cagayan de Oro City Hall lit up with hundreds of colorful lights as it launched its annual lights and sound show "Symphony of Lights" last Monday, December 3, as part of its Pasko de Oro event.
The Symphony of Lights, the City Government's million peso project for the holiday season, will run from December 3 until the Chinese New Year next year, according to City Councilor Jay Roa Pascual, the tourism committee chairman.
Hundreds of Kagay-anons gathered at the city hall grounds to witness the ceremonial switching on of the lights.
According to City Investments and Promotions officer Eileen San Juan, the city spent less this year compared to last year's launching of Symphony of Lights as they reuse the same set of lights.
"Last year, we spent more kay mao man tong pagkuha gyud sa mga lights. Karon, gigamit lang gyapon tong the same lights," San Juan said.
City Mayor Oscar Moreno, for his part, said that even though the lights are all the same, "its how you play with the lights that make it different.”
"The message here is that Christmas is always a season of merriment and joy and happiness and it is expressed via lights," Moreno said.
The city mayor also mentioned his plan for the Ysalina bridge to be lighted not just for Christmas but for the whole year.
"So its a different concept all together, its not for Christmas, its for the whole year. And so, precisely, that's why we're calibrating it, we're lighting the Ysalina bridge after the Christmas is over," Moreno said.
Prior to the launching of this year's Symphony of Lights, the City Government also awarded the winners for the Paskorela and Pasko de Oro Parade competition.
For the Paskorela or Dress Up Your Own Motorela contest, motorela operator Michael Tee (motorela #1299) won the first prize, receiving a cash prize of P40,000.
He was followed by motorela operators Wendell Mercado (motorela #1874) and Arlyn Jun Mercado (motorela #2174) as second and third prize winners, respectively.
Pasko de Oro Parade, on the other hand, the Pedro Oloy N. Roa Elementary School won the Best in Christmas Accent, Most Disciplined and Best Band Majorette awards.
Camp Evangelista Elementary School also won the Best Musicality and Best Band Master awards.
Pedro Oloy N. Roa Elementary School also performed for the crowd gathered in the city hall grounds before the Symphony of Lights was launched.
This is not the end of the city's Christmas celebration for it still has the Christmas Bazaar of the beneficiaries of the livelihood projects of the Bottom-Up-Budgeting (BUB) on December 10 at the Gaston Park and the display of Christmas Icons, a contest participated by different barangays of the city on the same day.
There is also the Bangga sa Daygon, a choral competition participated by elementary school students from all over the city, to be held on December 5 in SM City Cagayan de Oro.
A garden show at Magsaysay Park in Divisoria will also open on December 6.
"We're institutionalizing ang atong events sa Cagayan de Oro and Pasko de Oro is one for our Christmas celebration," San Juan said.
"So we'd like to invite everyone here sa City Hall sa atong lights every night unya dayon ang atong upcoming bazaar also at Gaston Park and display of Christmas icons and ang atong Bangga sa Daygon, to be participated by different schools on December 5. And opening of our garden show didto sa Magsaysay Park on December 6," she added.