Lapu-Lapu mosaic, food festival usher in Kadaugan festivities

A FOUR foot mosaic of Datu Lapu-Lapu made of shells and wood was unveiled in last Friday’s food festival at the Mactan Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City in the days leading to this Saturday’s Kadaugan sa Mactan celebration.

Lapu-Lapu city Mayor Paz Radaza unveiled the artwork of Lhee Isabel Taneo, a 20-year-old Fine Arts student of UP-Cebu who hails from barangay Tingo, Olango Island.

“We will commemorate Datu Lapu-Lapu’s heroic deed of defending our shores against the Portuguese conquistador Ferdinand Magellan,” the mayor said of the mosaic she commissioned from Taneo.

The mayor issued her remarks on the same day the National Historical Commission issued a cease and desist order against a diaper commercial that parodied the Battle of Mactan and featured Lapu-Lapu and Magellan.

The Advertising Board of the Philippines recalled the “clearance to air” of the diaper commercial after it received the NHC notice.

Mayor Radaza sent a letter to the Ad Board registering the city’s objections to the commercial.

In her speech, Radaza thanked those who joined them in objecting to the continued airing of the diaper commercial in order to ensure the promotion of historical accuracy of the Battle of Mactan and uphold Lapu-Lapu’s legacy.

The Lapu-Lapu mosaic consists of 25,000 “Nasa” multi-colored shells set on a wooden board.

It will be on display for the duration of the Kadaugan sa Mactan celebration.  Taneo is a finalist in the Annual Student Exhibit in UP-Cebu last Feb.

Visitors and Lapu-Lapu City residents can also sample native cuisine and specialty dishes as prepared by the city’s leading hotels and resorts at affordable prices.

The mayor also launched the city’s digital tourism program which included the designation of QR codes in the Liberty shrine, Virgen de Regla parish and the old Lapu-Lapu statue in the old Opon town square.

The Lapu-Lapu city government also set up a Wi-Fi connection at the Mactan Shrine. Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza