CAGAYAN de Oro City Mayor Rolando Uy announced that the annual Christmas tree lighting at City Hall and Gaston Park will be complemented by a ‘Fireworks Olympics’ at the Rio de Oro Boulevard in December.
The Fireworks Olympics to be sponsored by the mayor’s office is aimed at livening up the Christmas celebration in Cagayan de Oro City and is open to the public, Mayor Uy said.
“(In sponsoring this activity) we want to bring some Christmas cheer to our constituents as they celebrate (the holiday season),” Uy said in Visayan during Monday’s flag-raising program.
Full details of the Fireworks Olympics have yet to be disclosed but Mayor Uy said the competition is open to interested participating outlets even outside the city.
Since its opening last May, the Rio de Oro Boulevard has been used as a venue for wellness and sports activities by City Hall to promote physical fitness to the public.
Before Christmas, Mayor Uy said his office will also sponsor another round of exhibition matches featuring four top Philippine Volleyball League (PVL) women's teams scheduled on Nov. 18.
“The four teams including Creamline and PLDT are scheduled to play at the Aquilino Pimentel Jr. International Convention Center,” Uy said.
The PVL teams were among the top crowd drawers during the city’s annual city fiesta celebration last August. In January, Mayor Uy said he would work to host a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) match.
The PBA regular season match will feature Ginebra and another PBA team and will also be held at the Aquilino Pimentel Jr. International Convention Center, Mayor Uy said.
City Hall is pushing for more major events to be held at the Aquilino Pimentel Jr. International Convention Center in Barangay Indahag as part of its tourism campaign efforts.
During the flag-raising program hosted by the city-owned JR Borja General Hospital, Mayor Uy also thanked the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department, the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office, the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office, and the Roads and Traffic Administration for maintaining peace and order during the All Saints Day and All Souls Day observance in the city last Nov. 1 and 2 respectively. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)
