FOR the celebration of 500 years of Christianity’s existence in the Philippines, eight 40-meter-high crosses are rising 100 meters over the Mactan Channel and most of Cebu City in April this year.
The observance harks back to that memorable event when Christianity was first introduced to Cebu by the planting of a cross and the baptism of its people by Spaniards led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It happened a few weeks after they arrived in March 1521.
The Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC)—through its subsidiary Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC), builder of the 8.5-kilometer Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX)—has begun building eight structures in the shape of a cross, inspired by the 500-year-old Magellan’s Cross that, according to some historians, symbolizes Cebu as the cradle of Christianity in the archipelago.
The installation of eight crosses on top of the CCLEX pylons will be completed and illuminated by hundreds of LED strip lights before the historic commemoration.
CCLEX will be part of the quincentennial commemorative celebrations in April 2021, with its eight 40-meter-high crosses on all four sides of each of the twin towers. These will be lit at night to dramatically proclaim once again Christianity’s influence in Asia’s first Christian nation.