TACLOBAN CITY – The city government of Ormoc has lined-up activities for its 75th Charter Day celebration slated on October 20.
The celebration will be the first time they will have a grand event after two years due to restrictions caused by the corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“This is very different celebration because this is a milestone, the 75th Charter Day of Ormoc City, especially coming from a pandemic for two years, we envision for a month-long celebration not just for a few select people but for the entire Ormoc,” City Mayor Lucy Torres Gomez said.
She stressed that all activities lined up relative to the celebration will be free except for its Miss Ormoc beauty pageant.
Among the major events prepared include concerts of artists like Nina (October 1), Rey Valera (Oct 2), Joey Generoso (Oct 9), and Gloc-9 (Oct 10), then a dance concert of Regine Tolentino on Oct 14.
Tatak Ormoc Award will also be stage on Oct 13, giving recognition to local business enterprise and business personalities organized by the Ormoc City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ORCHAM) and the city government.
Miss Ormoc pageant will return after two years, with the coronation on Oct. 15 to be hosted by actress-turned beauty queen Ruffa Gutierrez and James Deakin, with Ian Veneracion as one of the celebrity guests.
On Oct 16, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra will also hold a free concert at the city’s superdome.
A basketball showdown between Kapuso stars against PBA player is slated on Oct 17 , while this October 18, the city mayor will deliver her first State of the City Address as the local chief executive of Ormoc.
On the 20th, the charter day of Ormoc, activities will start with the Charter Day mass at the St. Peter’s and Paul Church, followed by a parade, then the Jubilee celebration in the morning.
Afternoon activity will center at the Ormoc Bay with the ‘bangkarera’ and will culminate with a grand concert at the city plaza to be headline by Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid.
Aside from these major activities, the executive committee also prepared sports competitions like the ‘dayon dayon’ volleyball tournament. Dayon dayon is a type of volleyball wherein competitors may agree to the number of players who will enter the court to compete. It also have the rule it is illegal to pass the ball to their teammate, thus they must hit the ball directly to pass it to their opponents.
Other sports competition includes, airsoft tournament, e-sport, baseball, volleyball, billiard, softball, archery, bike race, arnis anyo and team demonstration competiton, sepak takraw, dance sport, chess, dart, taekwondo, triathlon and aquathlon, swimming, then the 4th and 5th leg of the Southeast Asian Games qualifying tournament.
Local products in Ormoc are also to be showcase thru trade fair events of the Department of Trade (Oct 10 – 16) and Industry and Agri-Aqua trade Fair (Oct 10-28).
A jobs fair will also be conducted on Oct. 22 and a lechon competition, dubbed as ‘lechon kumbira’ on Oct. 29.
Ormoc City is a 1st class independent city that became the 15th city of the country and the first in Eastern Visayas under the virtue of Republic Act No. 179 on October 20, 1947.
It has a population of 230, 998 residents based on 2020 census which makes it the second most populated city in the region, next to Tacloban City.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
