Oro’s Symphony of Lights will glitter until February

THE City Government has launched its million peso project for the holiday season, the “Symphony of Lights” which will run from December 1 until February next year, for the Chinese New Year.

Hundreds came to witness the ceremonial switching on of the lights last Friday night, a project in which the city government wishes to embark every

year on Christmas season. City Councilor Jay Roa Pascual, chairman of the committee on tourism, explained that the project is called Symphony of Lights because aside from the changing lights it produces, a music will also be played to accompany it.

Pascual said rich cities such as Makati and Quezon City have their own version of the Symphony of Lights, piloted by Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.

Aside from the P6 million allocation of the City Council, private sponsors such as the A Brown Company, SM Mall, Ayala Mall, and Gaisano Mall, among others, have donated millions to achieve the project.

“A Brown donated P1 million, SM another P1M, while Ayala gave us P500,000, ug and Gaisano with 200,000 for this project, but many more partners also exinside pressed interest to help us maintain this initiative,” Pascual said.

“These are high-tech Christmas lights, because it produces different lights, unlike the usual na series lights which only has one or two colors, but the Symphony of Lights, this is multi-colored, that’s why it’s expensive,” he added.

Pascual said the city government also plans to put up the same kind of Christmas lights along Ysalina Bridge, and make the whole vicinity of City Hall an annual tourist attraction during the holidays.

“The joy that Christmas lights give to people, especially to kids is magical, somehow it gives us hope, and this is what we want to achieve. Amid, the security crisis that we experienced here in Mindanao, at least we can give joy to the people, which is exactly the essence of Christmas,” he said.

City Mayor Oscar Moreno for his part, said, he hopes that 2018 will be a far better year for Cagayan de Oro and for the whole country.