Cebu City LGU allocates P400T budget for ‘Korean Day’ in Cebu City
By Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, Sept. 23 (PIA) -- The Cebu City Government allocated P400,000 budget for the celebration of the two-day festivities for the Korean Day in Cebu City slated on October 1. The event aims to foster better understanding between the Cebuanos and the growing number of Korean residents in the city.
Cebu City Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young said the amount is the city’s counterpart to assist the Cebu-Korean Association (CKA) to realize the activities for the celebration.
“There are many Koreans living in Cebu and it is important to have an activity to make us understand them better as a community,” according to Young.
Young said the budget can augment the funds of the CKA to realize the various activities such as the K-Pop competition, cultural fashion show, bazaar of Korean authentic cuisine and goods as well as the grand parade.
“The Korean Day is also a tourism promotion to make people come to Cebu, especially the Koreans in other parts of the country as well as an opportunity for domestic tourists to visit Cebu,” Young declared.
The declaration of Korean Day for Cebu City is a recognition of the estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Koreans in the city, Young said.
Likewise, Korean tourists topped the list of visiting foreign tourists in the city with an estimated 1,000 to 1,5000 daily arrivals followed by the Japanese, this is learned.
Young said the forthcoming event has been received with much enthusiasm by the business sector including Korean business establishments like the Imperial Resort and Water Spa as several sponsorships have been offered in cash and in kind.
The K-Pop Contest that will be held on September 30 will witness 18 groups that have been pre-screened out of the 90 groups that joined the competition, according to CKA vice president Charlie Shin.
“The winning groups will receive cash prizes and the top winner will have the chance to visit Europe or any preferred destination courtesy of Asiana Air,” Shin said.
Losing groups will also not go home empty-handed as each Contestant of the losing groups will get P3,000 as consolation prize, this is said.
Young said he is very encouraged with the event because of the warm response from the Korean community in Cebu and the business sector.
“I can see that this celebration will get bigger every year because of the positive feedback that we have received so far,” Young disclosed. (PIA-Cebu)