No single venue in Metro Cebu can seat 10,000 people at a time.
Thus, one will have be to built in less than three years for the International Eucharistic Congress in 2016.
The “Eucharistic City” will rise over a shell structure sitting on a one-hectare lot behind the Park Mall in Mandaue City, close to the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).
The choice of the site was revealed by Cebu Archbishop Jose S. Palma at a news conference last Thursday (Sept. 26).
As host of the 51st IEC, the Cebu Archdiocese assessed many venues during a site tour two weeks ago. But none of the hotels and convention halls could seat 10,000 people.
Msgr. Dennis Villajoro told Cebu Daily News that Vatican representatives Archbishop Pierro Marini and Fr. Vittore Buchardi did not want congress participants to be spread out in multiple venues because that may divert their attention from the scheduled activities.
Requirements
The CICC was built by the Cebu provincial government in 2007 for the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit and can accommodate only 4,000 people.
Villarojo said he accompanied the Vatican team and Archbishop Palma in their site inspection of the CICC two weeks ago.
During the visit, while considering alternatives, he recalled that there was a property behind Park Mall.
After looking over the CICC facilities, they went a few meters away to the site. The property, which covers 8,000 square meters, is owned by a private corporation headed by Cebu businessman Roderick Ngo.
Ngo is a member of the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP), Villarojo said. He said the Archdiocese has already reached an agreement with corporate owners to use the site for the Catholic Congress in 2016. Villarojo said a team of architects and engineers will work on making the site compliant with IEC requirements.
Concert venue
From other sources it was learned that the area was intended as a mall.
But the project, built on land of the Mandaue city government during the Ouano administration, was unfinished and was later used as a warehouse.
Special infrastructure needs of Cebu’s last big religious event, the November 2012 national thanksgiving celebration for newly sainted Pedro Calungsod, also prompted the Cebu Archdiocese, with private donors and SM as a main benefactor, to develop an xxx-hectare field at the South Road Properties for a small temple to celebrate an open air Mass attended by over one million people.
The reclaimed land , owned by the Cebu city government, is located beside ongoing development of SM Seaside City.
Last week’s press conference was also attended by Fr. Adonis Aquino, chairman of the committee on communications for the IEC 2016 and Anne Griffith, general manager of the 50th IEC which was held in Dublin, Ireland in June 2012
The main venue of the last eucharistic congress was the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) Arena which can seat 16,500 and accommodate 18,500.
It was originally developed to host equestrian events and has become a major site for sporting events in Ireland like rugby, football and wrestling.
It’s also a concert venue where pop stars like Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and Britney Spears, including rock groups Queen and boy band Boyzone have packed the site with screaming fans in recent years. /Malou Guanzon-Apalisok