THE Magellan’s Cross will be among the heritage sites that will be visited by ASEAN ministers on Wednesday, Jan. 28.(Basilica Minore del Santo Niño Facebook)
CEBU CITY – This city is rolling out the red carpet for international leaders attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings here.
The city will host five ASEAN ministers in what it described as a curated cultural, heritage, and religious tour on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
Mayor Nestor Archival appealed for public understanding as road closures will be implemented as part of the tight security measures that will be enforced during the tour.
Archival assured that road closures will not take long to avoid public inconvenience.
The tour, which forms part of a broader ASEAN engagement, will start at Cebu City Hall, where city officials will formally welcome the delegates.
At the City Hall, delegates will be treated to cultural presentations highlighting the city’s Sinulog and deep-rooted religious traditions.
From City Hall, the delegation will proceed to Magellan’s Cross and the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño.
The visit to Basilica Minore del Santo Niño seeks to underscore Cebu’s role as the cradle of Christianity in the Philippines.
The tour will also have stops in Parian, Fort San Pedro, Malacañang sa Sugbo, and Casa Gorordo Museum.
To give the delegates heritage experience, they will ride a tartanilla – a traditional horse-drawn carriage.
Archival said hosting these ministers will help boost the city’s tourism. He added that he plans to come up with regular tours where two electric buses will be deployed exclusively for tourists.
Archival said he will coordinate with the Archdiocese of Cebu and the Cebu provincial government to expand the tour by featuring religious sites and the province’s top tourist destinations.