Road closures expected today, next few weeks

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Traffic Management Board has approved four temporary road closures for different events, including the gathering of participants of the United National Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific at the Provincial Capitol this afternoon, June 27, 2024.

Cebu City Traffic Office’s assistant head, lawyer Kent Jongoy told The Freeman yesterday that the four temporary road closures were approved for different events and dates.

The first will be for this afternoon, from 3 in the afternoon until 9 in the evening, wherein N. Escario Street fronting the Capitol from corner Don Gil Garcia St. intersection until corner Dr. Agusto Pio Santos Villalon Drive will be closed.

The said area will be closed to traffic for public vehicles, while private vehicles bound to Cebu City South (Guadalupe, Banawa and Labangon) are diverted to G. Garcia and Jasmin Streets while Cebu City North (OPRRA,Lahug and CBP) are diverted to Juana Osmeña St. or F.Ramos Ext. via M.P. Yap or J. Avila St.

The event, participated by members of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), formally opened yesterday at Shangri-la Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City. It will have several events including the dinner and fashion show tonight at the Capitol.

This is the first time that the country is hosting this inaugural UN Tourism forum, after Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia- Frasco was elected as chair of the Commission for East Asia and the Pacific during the 55th Meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for East Asia and the Pacific held in Cambodia last June 16, 2023.

During the opening ceremony, Garcia-Frasco welcomed the participants, and expressed how excited she was for the guests to experience the Philippines’ and Cebu’s rich heritage, and delicious food.

“We’re deeply honored by the confidence conferred upon our nation by United Nations Tourism and its member states to host this inaugural global event that brings together ministers, heads of delegation, heads of mission, experts, stakeholders, enthusiasts from over 40 countries from around the world and Asia Pacific to celebrate gastronomy, to develop and promote tourism, and to cultivate the symbiotic relationship of these two sectors that assures their and our mutual success,” Secretary Frasco said.

According to the tourism chief, Cebu serves as a fitting venue for the delegates’ explorations and discussions with over half a millennia of recorded history and deeply embedded cultural heritage.

“Filipino cuisine is a diverse tapestry of flavors, reflecting regional characteristics from across our beautiful archipelago of 7,641 islands, from the globally renowned Cebu lechon and the comforting tastes of adobo and sinigang to Mindanao’s distinctive dishes like curacha, pastil, our culinary heritage is rich and varied. We also host delicacies such as balut, a fertilized duck egg, and halo-halo, a refreshing dessert composed of crushed ice, sweet beans, fruits, and leche flan. Through our food, we tell the story of the Filipino. We narrate the victories of our people, our homeland, our history,” added Sec. Frasco.

Idoia Calleja, director of Masters and Courses of Basque Culinary Center (BCC) of Spain has also noted gastronomy tourism’s massive potential in promoting the community’s well-being, transforming societies’ socio-economic needs.

“Gastronomy is one of the sectors that show the way of life. When we travel we like to discover the local cuisines, destinations, restaurants, the taste, products, traditions, and to be able to have an authentic experience,” Calleja said.

Calleja also underscored gastronomy’s transformative power, referring to it as “part of the solution of the challenges we face as a society.”

Meanwhile, after the said event, the “Palaro Night Market” will be set up mainly in Colon area in time for Cebu City’s hosting of the Palarong Pambansa. This is the same area and set up as the Colon Night Market.

As approved by the TMC Board, the said night market will run from July 4 to August 4 but only every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 6 pm to 2 am.

The third temporary closure will be for a portion of the South Road Coastal Road to give way for the construction of the bridge way of Il Corso to Citi de Mare area, while another road closure will be for the repair of the hairline cracks of the SRP tunnel. Both will be done after the Palarong Pambansa either on the 17th to 18th of July, 2024. –/ATO (FREEMAN)