Mactan Island Cebu - Lapu-Lapu Hotels Sell World-Class Food at ‘Carenderia Price

Mactan Island and Lapu Lapu celebrate 'Kadaugan sa Mactan Festival'

More hotels and resorts in Lapu-Lapu City are participating in this year’s food festival at the Liberty Mactan shrine in Lapu-Lapu City, where they showcase their menus at lower prices.

The establishments are expecting losses during the week-long Kadaugan sa Mactan Festival that kicked off Monday night.

The last day of the festival is highlighted with the reenactment of the historic battle between Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and Mactan chieftain Datu Lapu-Lapu on April 27, 1521.

They are selling world-class food at “carenderia” prices between P5 and P100.

”We’ll definitely be operating at a loss. But everybody wants to do their share to protect the city’s title as the country’s number one tourism hub outside Luzon and to make the annual cultural reenactment of the historic battle that shaped the first Filipino hero more festive,” said Hembler Mendoza, overall chairman of this year’s festival.

Last year’s food festival only had 19 hotels and resorts participating.

This year, the number is 33 or 99 percent of the establishments in Lapu-Lapu City, said Mendoza, general manager of Waterfront Mactan Airport Hotel and Casino.

Live bands entertain the crowd every night, while policeman and uniformed tanods of Barangay Mactan handle security.

Last year, there was a fireworks display and a show by members of Lapu-Lapu’s dance sports team.

Mactan island barangay Captain Paz Radaza said the tourism commission agreed to hold the fireworks at the end of the food festival. The dance sports team was unable to entertain the crowd on opening night because the slot was given to the Department of Education for its presentation. (PNA/LAP/EB/ad)