CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — This year’s Lunar New Year celebration in Cagayan de Oro City highlights healthcare services, with Oro Trade and Investment Promotions Center (ORO-TIPC) announcing a medical and dental mission on January 23.
ORO-TIPC Department Manager John Asuncion said the city’s Filipino-Chinese community leads this initiative in partnership with local and private organizations.
“Ang among nabantayan pirmi sa katawhan, ang kailangan gyud nila ang healthcare services. So, gihimo namo ning aktibidad sa Chinese New Year. Ang target ani, 1,000 mo-serve sa medical mission na side, and 300 ang mo-serve sa dental na side,” Asuncion said.
(What we’ve always observed about the people is that they really need healthcare services. That’s why we organized this activity for the Chinese New Year. The target is to serve 1,000 people on the medical mission side and 300 on the dental side.)
He said in a way, this will be similar to City Mayor Rolando Uy’s “People’s Day,” which is on a first-come, first-served basis. Everyone who needs a particular service shall be accommodated.
For his part, Benjamin Chan, chairperson of the Cagayan de Oro Filipino-Chinese community, said, “Ang pinakabag-o nga i-celebrate sa new year karon kay kaning medical and dental mission. Hopefully, this will start the cooperation in celebrating the Chinese New Year with the Filipino-Chinese community and the local government.”
(We celebrate something new in this new year’s celebration—the medical and dental mission. Hopefully, this will start the cooperation in celebrating the Chinese New Year with the Filipino-Chinese community and the local government.)
Another highlight of the celebration is the Mayor’s Cup Spring Festival Dragon Boat Race, February 1 and 2. As part of the Bugsay Mindanao: Paddle for Peace race series, the event has already recorded 508 participants from various places.
The race, which spans five days, is not about prize money but rather about promoting peace and sports tourism.
Asuncion underscored the symbolism of the dragon boat race bringing unity, respect, and the power of sports to communities together and how it has become a driver for local tourism, drawing visitors and participants to the city, which benefits local businesses.
The festivities are not limited to the Filipino-Chinese community. Asuncion cited that the celebration fosters inclusivity by inviting everyone to participate from cultural showcases like dragon dances and lantern parades to sports events and medical missions. (ALAO/PIA-10)
