Organizers cancel pilgrim walk in Cebu due to bad weather

CEBU CITY—Organizers have cancelled the anticipated pilgrim walk by some 5,000 youth delegates from Lapu-Lapu City to Mandaue City through Mactan-Mandaue Bridge on Thursday afternoon because of the bad weather.

Instead, all activities of the Youth Day, which is part of the ongoing 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC), will be held at Hoops Dome, an indoor arena in Lapu-Lapu City.

The delegates are supposed to converge at Hoops Dome and later hold a procession to Mandaue City through the bridge that connects Mactan Island to Cebu mainland.

The delegates will occupy about three hectares of the Mandani Bay project site for an overnight vigil.

Mandani Bay is a 20-hectare property located at the south point of Mandaue City along the Mactan Channel and adjacent to the Mandaue City public market. The property owned by Taft Properties is being developed to be a residential and mix-used waterfront project.

Cebu, however, have been experiencing incessant rains since Monday due to amihan or northeast monsoon.

Aside from the possibility of rainfall during the procession at 3 p.m. on Thursday, the venue where the delegates are supposed to converge, Mandani Bay, has become muddy due to the rains.

Traffic authorities of both Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue Cities have planned to close half of the old Mandaue-Mactan Bridge starting at 2 p.m. for the pilgrim walk.

But since organizers have decided to cancel it, there will be no road closures except on those leading to Hoops Dome.

Glenn Antigua, chief for operations of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue City (TEAM), said their traffic personnel would remain on standby in case their assistance was needed in Lapu-Lapu City. RC