The
Balik Mandaue Program
For
this year’s (2004) event, a
major program, the BALIK MANDAUE
PROGRAM, has been included
as a fitting tribute to Mandauehanons
who have migrated and chosen a foreign
land to be their abode.
Since the MANTAWI FESTIVAL
is a celebration of the Mandauehanons’
unity and strength, a celebration
of linking up, the BALIK MANDAUE
PROGRAM is a call for all
the Mandauehanons who have settled
in foreign lands to rediscover their
city. The Program is a restaging of
the “VUELTA”
which King Philip II initiated in
1565, ordering Legaspi to undertake
the first return trip to Acapulco.
The BALIK MANDAUE PROGRAM
is an invitation to become part of
that “tie that binds”,
the MANTAWI Vine.
It is a journey to the past, to reestablish
and strengthen old relationships.
It is a homecoming to see Mandaue
Today. It is a rallying call to unite
for the Mandaue Tomorrow.
BALIK MANDAUE is
a celebration for the MANDAUEHANONS.
It is an effort to reach out to all
MANDAUEHANONS wherever
they may be; whatever their status
in life is; young and old; man, woman,
and child….. to set foot once
again in the land of his origin and
see the monuments of Mandaue in the
past, the Bantayan Sa Hari,
the Saltbeds, Tulay,
National Shrine of St. Joseph,
the bibingka, budbud,
masareal, masi,
tagaktak; to appreciate the
landmarks of Mandaue in the present,
the Mandaue-Mactan Bridges,
the Heritage Plaza, the
City Hospital, the Mandaue
City Sports and Cultural
Complex, the Mini Park,
the Modern Livestock Processing
Center, San Miguel Corporation
and other major industries,
furniture industries, the
new urban landscape; to pour
in your insights on the blueprint
of development for Mandaue in the
future, the proposed City Public
Market, the International
Trade and Exhibit Center, the
proposed nine-storey Hotel, International
Cuisine and Entertainment Center,
the Butuanon Boulevard, Mandaue
Boardwalk, the Banilad-Cabancalan
Water Park, and the Medium-rise
Housing Buildings.
The MANTAWI VINE
beacons to one and all to come home
and appreciate how their fellow MANDAUEHANONS
who have chosen to stay, have successfully
retraced history and established every
MANDAUEHANON’S
sense of place, his own identity.
The BALIK MANDAUE PROGRAM,
through the 3rd MANTAWI FESTIVAL,
is a celebration of the life of the
city; it is an invitation to put more
dynamism to the life of the city;
it is an opportunity for one and all,
especially the Balik Mandauehanons,
to invest in their city and be part
of the growth of the city.
BALIK MANDAUE is
a program that complements and supports
the MANTAWI FESTIVAL.
The tie that binds, the MANTAWI
VINE is a symbol of the shared
commitment of the city’s constituency
to look and move forward. “PADAYON
MANDAUEHANON” is a
slogan the Honorable City Mayor has
coined to underscore the need for
Mandauehanons to rise above partisan
politics for the sake of the greater
good, the promotion of better quality
of life for all Mandauehanons.
“Let us nurture existing partnerships
even as we continue to form new alliances”.
This was underscored during the last
State of the City Adresss of the City
Mayor to show the strategic importance
of linking up with all sectors of
society. Such is a manifestation of
the Mayor’s preference for a
“common ownership” strategy
in local governance. Thus he has reached
out to all sectors of the city and
invited their participation in the
development process of the city.
The BALIK MANDAUE PROGRAM,
therefore seeks to promote a lasting
partnership. |
