KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 24 November) — A giant Christmas tree still under construction in front of the City Hall along the national highway, collapsed late Saturday afternoon as strong winds swept the city.
Adorned with star lanterns, the 120-feet tall Christmas tree was constructed to be the city government’s centerpiece attraction during the holiday season.
The city government has yet to issue an official statement on the knocked down Christmas tree as of Sunday noon.
Mayor Eliordo Ogena, who is on his first term, was out of town when the incident happened.
Some residents who inspected the fallen Christmas tree Sunday morning observed that some of the steel pipes used to construct it were small.
The knocked down Christmas tree, reportedly costing almost 800,000 pesos, was mocked by netizens in several posts on social media.
It would have been the tallest Christmas tree in Region 12 had it not been destroyed.
In October, Tampakan town in South Cotabato unveiled its 100-feet tall Christmas tree made of recyclable waste materials.
Tampakan’s Christmas tree remained standing despite last month’s four powerful quakes above Magnitude 6, all with epicenters in nearby North Cotabato province.
Koronadal is the capital of South Cotabato and the seat of government of Region 12, which also covers North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong and Kidapawan. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
