CCSC oval closure pushed

CEBU, Philippines — As the local government of Minglanilla is set to open its new rubberized blue oval soon, the Cebu City Council on the other hand, pushed the other day for the temporary closure of that of the Cebu City Sports Center, which is set for repairs, after a former national team karateka claimed to have been injured because of its poor quality.

Earlier, acting Mayor Raymond Garcia said that the contractor will have to do a “back job” after the staging of the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo 2024, as more damaged portions can be seen in the supposedly newly-installed CCSC rubberized track oval.

Even before the staging of the Palarong Pambansa 2024 last July, many athletes and coaches already expressed worry that it won’t last long due to the quality of the work on the said oval.

The oval got more attention during the Palaro after it was learned that the contractor made a mistake in the lines, so that the 400-meter distance was found out to be short of the standard measurement.

The Freeman also learned from technical officials that even the rubber itself is substandard as far as the ratio of the red rubber granules and black granules below it is concerned.

Some portions of the oval’s red rubber then faded away making it uneven and more damage was visible when the Pasigarbo participants and the general public started to use it.

Almost three weeks from the Pasigarbo last August 25, however, there are still no signs workers fixing the oval.

A recent incident involving a former national karate team member again brought the oval back in the limelight.

In a privilege speech during their regular session last Wednesday, City Councilor Rey Gealon said that barely two months from the renovation of the track oval, it is “already riddled with potholes and cracks, with the rubber steadily peeling off and producing an uneven surface that pose hazards to athletes and other users of the track oval.”

“And true enough, one such athlete stumbled, fell and injured herself due to the uneven track oval, fracturing her left little finger when she landed badly,” he said.

Karla Katrina Kim Arriba allegedly suffered a broken finger due to defective rubber of the track while training for a karate tournament.

She is now seeking damages from contractor SBD Builders, Inc. totaling P880,000, which includes her medical expenses, loss of income, and moral damages.

Gealon warned against the continued use of the oval in its current state.

“Allowing the public to use the track oval without any safeguards despite its continuing state of disrepair is a reckless endangerment of the public and the City is unnecessarily exposing itself to liability for injuries to the hapless public,” he said.

In response to Gealon’s privilege speech, the City Council called on the Office of the Mayor to look into the matter as soon as possible and let SBD Builders redo the oval without extra cost to the city government.

It also asked the CCSC management to temporarily close the defective side of the track oval lane to avoid another untoward incident.

City Councilor Joy Augustus Young, on the other hand, wanted full closure of the rubberized track from the public.

“I just want to warn you in my 30 years of experience, kuyaw kaayo nga gisi-gisi. Ako pa ninyo, siradoi na ninyo ang oval. Para nako, ang kontraktor na ana ang responsable kay wala man tarunga og taud, kita sa City Government, being the owners, should close that,” he said.

 “Dili nimo himuon nga ilisan ang nagisi lang, usbon gyud nimo rubberized ang whole oval, mao nay solusyon ana”, he further said.

The city government poured in over P53 million for the CCSC’s renovation, which include that of the rubberized track, for the Palarong Pambansa that Cebu City hosted last July.

On the other hand, Garcia, in an interview with reporters yesterday, said he is yet to check on the oval.

He said he was already made aware of the incident and want to just “let the process take its course.”

Garcia, too, said he is likewise “very concerned,” if indeed it is true that the reported athlete was injured because of the CCSC oval.

He said he will check on the condition of the oval next week.

Meanwhile, the Minglanilla Sports Oval that Gealon also praised is set to have its soft opening on October 1, as announced by Mayor Rajiv Enad.

The facility, however, is only for the exclusive use of Minglanilla residents, who would enjoy its use for free until the end of 2024.

 “Minglanilla residents pa ang pwede makagamit sa oval during the soft opening. I-announce ra unya kung kanus-a pwede makagamit ang mga dili taga Minglanilla,” Enad said.

The Minglanilla oval, too, does not meet the 400-meter standard oval, but Enad already made that clear at the outset.

He said the rubberized track was actually done a few months back, but they still did not have anyone use it to allow complete curing of the rubber.

 Mayor Enad’s announcement on the use of the rubberized track, however, di dnot include the use of the football field, which uses artificial turf. -- Preciosa Bacalso/RHM (CEBU NEWS)