Pickleball, first SOCA headline Mandaue’s 57th Charter celebration

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – A pickleball competition and the first State of the City Address (SOCA) of Mayor Thadeo “Jonkie” Ouano will be among the new highlights of Mandaue City’s 57th Charter Anniversary celebration this August.

The lineup of activities was unveiled during the media launching on Wednesday, Aug. 5. The month-long celebration, themed “Mandaue at 57: Unity in Motion,” will feature civic, cultural, sports, and community activities. Charter Day will be celebrated on Aug. 30.

“Since last year, ang message gyud sa Mayor is always Unity Run, Unity Cup. So, we are just consistent with our brand. Mao nang gibutangan og ‘motion’—dili lang sa words but sa action pod,” said City Administrator Atty. Gonzalo Malig-on Jr.(Since last year, the Mayor’s message has always been about unity, as reflected in initiatives like the Unity Run and Unity Cup. We are simply staying consistent with that branding. That’s why we added the word ‘Motion’—to show that unity is not just something we talk about, but something we put into action.)

Among the activities are the One-Stop Serbisyo Caravan, the 5.7-Kilometer Unity Run, the Mandaue Charter Push Bike Race, the Charter BXC Race, and the TEAM Sports Festival.

For the first time, the employees’ sports festival will include a pickleball competition, alongside basketball, volleyball, and badminton events.

Mandaue Sports Commission Officer-in-Charge Mary Joy Tabal-Jimenez said the sports activities will also adopt a new competition format. Instead of the previous inter-department setup, participants will be grouped into clusters to encourage interaction among employees from different city offices.

The celebration will also feature the DepEd Dance Palabas, Liga Charter Beats 2026: Battle of the Bands, Employees’ Talent Night, Lantugi: One Mandaue Inter-Barangay Cebuano Freestyle Rap and Spoken Word Competition, and Mandaue Food Park: Around the World. Taxpayers’ Night will also return on Aug. 26 to recognize the city’s valued taxpayers and business partners.

Another highlight will be Ouano’s first State of the City Address on Aug. 28, followed by the Charter Day PNight and Adlaw sa Pasalamat 2026.

One of the major events is the Charter Day Concert Night on Aug. 30, headlined by the popular band Silent Sanctuary.

Kristian Marc Cabahug, executive director of the Mandaue Investment Promotions Tourism Action Center (MIPTAC), said the city has allocated P23 million for this year’s Charter Anniversary celebration, higher than last year’s P20 million budget. He said the increase was mainly due to the inclusion of the mayor’s first SOCA in the lineup of activities.

The celebration will conclude with the Mandaue City Paralympic Invitational Tournament on Sept. 11 and 12.

Meanwhile, the Mandaue City Council has approved on first reading measures granting additional benefits to city employees as part of the Charter Anniversary celebration.

Job order and other non-regular employees are set to receive an additional two-month honorarium as a Charter Day bonus. Regular employees, meanwhile, are in line to receive the third tranche of the updated salary schedule for local government personnel under Executive Order No. 64, s. 2024, in accordance with Department of Budget and Management Local Budget Circular No. 172 dated July 16, 2026.

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