Cebu governor to help Calungsod fundraiser

CEBU, Philippines – Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday expressed her willingness to help the group that is raising funds needed for the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod on Oct. 21.

“How blessed are we Cebuanos. Dako kayo ni natong grasya (It’s a huge blessing) as it is not always that a place is attached to a name of a saint,” Garcia said.

She said she will help raise funds for the activities related to the canonization.

A group led by philanthropist Mari-quita Salimbangon-Yeung is trying to raise P50 million for the activities both in Rome and in Cebu.

Garcia also plans to attend the canonization rites in Rome together with Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.

Former Guam governor Felix Camacho, who paid a courtesy visit to Garcia, extended his congratulations to Cebu, Guam’s sister province.

“It’s a tremendous story of how, for hundreds of years, we have been linked all the way back to the days of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines and Guam,” Camacho said, adding that Calungsod’s canonization is one of the links that connects Cebu and Guam.

Calungsod was an altar boy who did missionary work with Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitore in Guam. However, they were killed in the 17th century in a village where they were doing evangelization work and baptizing children.

Calungsod was beatified on March 5, 2005. He will be the first Cebuano and second Filipino martyr to be called a saint, next to San Lorenzo Ruiz. He will later be known as San Pedro Calungsod de Cebu.

Meanwhile, Cebu and Guam’s sister-relations continue to blossom as American companies like Johnson Controls are eyeing investment opportunities in Cebu.

Johnson Controls is an industrial and technology company that provides products that optimizes energy efficiency.– Freeman News Service