Cebu to hold Eucharistic Congress dry run

CEBU CITY — Motorists here are being advised to brace for possible traffic congestion for two days, this coming Sunday and Monday, as traffic officials conduct a dry run for the major event, the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) which will be hosted by Cebu City in January, next year.

The Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) has scheduled the dry-run to coincide with the city’s Christ the King celebration on Sunday to test the viability of the traffic scheme.

Owners of private vehicles are advised to park at the Cebu Business Park or nearby areas if they are attending this Sunday’s event.

CCTO Executive Director Raphael Christopher Yap said the dry run will start at 1 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. on Sunday. On Monday, the dry run will start at 6 a.m. and end at 10 a.m.

He said Kaoshiung buses will be fielded to simulate the movement of shuttle buses to be used by IEC delegates. The city government will also allow public utility jeepneys to use the route so that traffic management enforcers will have an idea how things go when the IEC is held during a busy day, he said.

If the proposed traffic scheme is feasible, Yap said Pope John Paul II Avenue would be officially closed for the entire IEC conference from January 24-31 next year.

Cebu City, considered the cradle of Christianity in the Far East, is set to host the IEC on January 2016. It would be the second time that the congress will be held in the country. Nearly eight decades ago, the Philippines first hosted the IEC in Manila. (Mars W. Mosqueda Jr.)