RIDER'S MARSHALING. Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia raises a signal flag in marshaling the touring riders during the DIVE 7 Festival in the sugarcane town of Medellin, north of Cebu province. The festival, featuring the sugar bowl town as a favorite destination for touring riders, also include shooting, diving and photography competition. (Photo courtesy of Cebu Capitol PIO)
CEBU CITY – The four-day “shoot, ride, dive” event at Cebu’s sugar bowl town of Medellin is being pushed as a budding destination for touring riders and visitors.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said the Dive 7 Festival which kicked off on Thursday at the municipality of Medellin and will end on Sunday, features underwater and beachfront activities like golf, target shooting, motorcycle rides and photography competition.
The initiative, she said, is a debut of golf and target shooting in the summer festival organized by the provincial government, the municipality of Medellin and the Department of Tourism (DOT)-Central Visayas, through its DIVE 7 program.
Garcia led the ceremonial tee-off for the golf tournament Thursday late afternoon at the Queens Island Golf and Resort.
Meanwhile, the ceremonial ride through the iconic Aisle of Medellin and the fun shoot at the Philippine Army’s 53rd Engineering Brigade also kicked off on Thursday.
“The host-municipality is the sugar bowl of Cebu province. Its scenic Aisle of Medellin is favored by touring riders for its refreshing bamboo canopies and rustic countryside atmosphere. Its immaculate white beaches call out to moments of relaxing serenity as the azure waters beckon with a diverse range of colorful fish and corals,” the provincial government's statement said.
The golfers are facing off in matches at the Queens Island Golf and Resort and Mercedes Plantation Golf and Country Club in the said sugarcane plantation town while the pistol and rifle shooting event will be at the premises of the 53rd Engineering Brigade in Barangay Poblacion.
“Aside from snorkeling, deep-sea diving, and the underwater photography contest, the festival’s dive component will be a full complement of events. Children and adult beginner-divers can participate in the introductory bubble maker for kids and discover scuba diving courses,” it said.
According to the capitol, the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving, Maritime Industry Authority-7, Philippine Coast Guard, and the provincial government will hold onsite permitting and accreditation services through its one-stop-shop desk. (PNA)
