Ironman triathlon confined to Mactan, Mandaue

Residents of northern Cebu can heave a sigh of relief.

Organizers of this year’s Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships have decided to confine the race within the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

Gov. Hilario Davide III made the announcement yesterday after discussing the matter with Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino and Ironman organizers.

The governor plans to convene the Mactan Cebu Bridge Management Board to tackle the request of organizers to include the First Mactan Bridge in the bike route.

Davide told reporters that he respects the decisions of Cebu City and Liloan not to allow Ironman organizers to use their roads for the race’s 90-kilometer bike leg.

He said that their concerns are legitimate as the race could affect traffic in their areas.

“Though even it’s a Sunday, there are still people from those parts who will be traveling to and from Metro Cebu just for business or leisure,” Davide said.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña had said that he would not allow Ironman organizers to use the Cebu South Coastal Road because it could affect traffic on the national highway, a portion of which has been closed to traffic because of an ongoing tunnel construction in Barangay Mambaling.

Ironman organizers then sought the Capitol’s help to bring the bike leg to northern Cebu, passing the towns of Consolacion, Compostela, Liloan, Carmen and Danao City.

But Liloan Mayor Christina Garcia-Frasco also said no to race organizers after they proposed to close two of the town’s major thoroughfares, namely the national highway and the Cebu North Coastal Road.

Not only would this cause heavy traffic in Liloan and other parts of northern Cebu, Frasco said, it would also harm local businesses. /