OFFICIALS of Mandani Bay have allowed the use of a three-hectare project site in Mandaue City for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) Youth Day on Thursday.
About 5,000 young delegates are expected to join the Youth Pilgrim Walk, which will start at 4 p.m.
To ensure the security of delegates, the organizers and city officials inspected the site yesterday.
The activity ground for Youth Day is located in a 20-hectare mixed-use waterfront project of HTLand, the company formed from a joint venture between Hongkong Land and Taft Properties.
Gilbert Ang, project director of Mandani Bay, said they identified the three-hectare site facing Mactan Channel for the event.
“We choose this area because it has the sea breeze and they have an open view,” Ang said during a press conference.
Ang said the stage and technical requirements will be placed today at the site, which is being developed.
For the participants’ convenience, 80 portable toilets and 20 wash areas will be provided by Mandani officials.
An ambulance and fire trucks will be at the site during the event.
The youth delegates will walk from Hoopsdome in Lapu-Lapu City to Mandani Bay grounds.
Only half of the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge lanes going from Mandaue to Lapu-Lapu City will be closed to traffic from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Drivers bound for Lapu-Lapu will be asked to use the Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge.
Although Mandani’s entire site, which spans 20 hectares, has been fenced, Ang said the lot intended for this Thursday’s activity will also be fenced again for the delegates’ security.
“They cannot loiter around the 20 hectares (outside of the three-hectare site). And aside from putting up barriers around the three hectares, there will be also security men, uniformed and civilian, roaming around plus stationed on the boundaries of the three-hectare area to prevent participants from going outside the event area,” he said.
Audience lights will be used in the activity area while 35 to 40 pieces of 1,000-watt halogen lights will be placed along the boulevard.
Mandani Bay officials also prepared three generator sets in case of a power service interruption. One will be for the stage, while two others will be hooked to the lights.
“Expect Mandani Bay to be well-prepared in terms of security and receiving the participants,” Ang said.
Glenn Antigua, chief for operations of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team), said that 20 traffic enforcers will be deployed for the IEC activities in the city, including the parish encounter tomorrow, when some delegates will visit and share dinner with local parishes.
He said the Team personnel will still report on Sunday and will be on-standby just in case Cebu City will need their assistance for the open-air mass in the South Road Properties, which organizers expect will gather some one million participants.