During the visit to the city last 2003 (few months after the launching of Night Café) by Tourism secretary Richard Gordon, he was impressed by the huge crowd turnout that he ordered the agency to immediately include the program in the Department’s list of attractions in the country. In that year also, the regular weekend event was also conferred a Kalakbay Award under the DoT’s WOW Philippines Program.

Any given Friday and Saturday evening, the northern section of the Divisoria section would be blockaded off from vehicular traffic to give way to the more than 100 stalls of concessionaires who ply food items ranging from banana cues to elaborate dishes like beef or chicken rice toppings.

The spaces are free of rent. Only electrical consumption charges to be paid by the tenants who provide makeshift chairs and tables on the streets where the café patrons would sit and enjoy the affordable meals they sell.

Friday editions of the night café feature bike-riding exhibitions and other attractions, such as massage services al fresco at the area of the park fronting Xavier University, Park Café- that is one of the huge attractions near the night café area (Divisoria). A live musical presentation featuring local bands playing on a makeshift stage set up along Pabayo Street and sometimes along in Capistrano Street is the main attraction during Saturdays at the park.

Cagayan de Oro mayor Vicente Y. Emano initiated the project, which is patterned after the famous street cafes of Paris and other European cities during his trip abroad earlier in the year of 2003. The gigantic multicolored streetlights, set up along the perimeter of the park, are similar to those found along Roxas Boulevard in Metro Manila.

So far, the project has been very successful in its running three years run. People from all classes of living go to the park to relax and enjoy the food and fiesta-like ambience. According to Mr. Emano, during the first three weeks of the café’s operations, it generated more than P8 million in total revenues. This from selling only mostly food items such as barbecued and grilled items in the night café.

The only adversary of the weekend event is uncooperative weather, where even a mild downpour would keep patrons indoors. Most of the concessionaires, however, managed to counter this by putting up tents in their allocated spaces. Thus, people could still go to the café even as heavy rains assail the city. Enterprising businessmen, taking advantage of the development in the area, have also started putting up food establishments near the night café area to have a piece of the weekend action.

Mr. Emano said he has more ideas for implementation in store for the redevelopment of the Divisoria area, traditionally viewed as the “Old Cagayan”, to restore in into its former status as the city’s business and society hub. The old bandstand along Velez Street has already been demolished to give way to a more modern City Kiosk. In year 2002, the local government also renovated the Amphitheater in Burgos Street.

More in store for the night café going public is the construction of modern public toilet facilities, said to be erected in the current location of the Operations Kahusay Kalinaw (OKK) headquarters. The OKK will then be transferred to a station near the Amphitheater. Mr. Emano has also tinted and initiated the night market in southern portion of Divisoria every Fridays and Saturdays also. It was started last 2004.

----------------------------