Lovers

Many of us will do anything for love.

Although today is Valentine’s Day, this is not exactly about the celebration, but pure love that brought several people together.

I was in a room full of lovers Thursday night – sports lovers that is, who got together for the cause of the repair of the track oval at the Cebu City Sports Center (some still don’t know the official name of this place including some city officials).

The facility that has been Cebu City’s premiere venue for major sports meet is already 15 years old and the wear and tear of the rubberized track is already very evident.

The meeting that had John Pages, the president of the Sportswriter Association of Cebu (SAC), as one of the organizers was attended by various running enthusiasts and stakeholders of Cebu sports.

The cry of the men and women was for the city to repair the rubberized track of the busiest sports center in the whole country.

Ricky Ballesteros, the manager of the sports center, was also on hand for the activity.

He said that the repair of the track oval would cost about P40 million. There are companies that have quoted a lower price for the track, but the quality will have to be checked to make sure that this would withstand the volume of people using it daily.

Dr. Danny Villadolid said that the repair should not only cover the track, but also the drainage system since this would also have an effect of the life span of the track.

The many stakeholders also spoke up in the meeting and many gave their views about the sports center and its maintenance.

There was the matter about people refusing to follow the rules on the use of lanes (and this includes some government officials), those who think that they can just throw anything on the ground because they paid an entrance fee (I sure hope they did), those who smoke (there is a law against this), and the many others who violate the CCSC in one way or another.

That meeting, although I was there for only about an hour, proved that there are really many people who care and I hope the number of people who do so would continue to grow.

Mayor Tommy Osmeña has promised to set aside funds for the CCSC once the city makes a sale at the South Road Properties, which just happened. I am positive that the mayor will do it.

While we’re waiting, there is also no harm to support the signature campaign, which shall open the eyes of the vote-conscious (I was actually tempted to use greedy instead of conscious hehehe…) politicians to also support the effort.

Let us all do our share and do it for the love of sports.

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I could not help but include this in today’s column as a follow up to the last one.

You can also go to your therapy sessions with your spouse, which is something I often see at Sugbu Medical of Dr. Laurence Lim, who is helping me cope with my spine problem.

Some of the older couples are the best proof of being there for the other for better or worse as they accompany each other to rehab sessions.

I’m sure it is also a great way to bond in a sporty manner. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

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MILESTONE: I’d like to greet one of men behind the revival of Parian a very happy birthday – Val Sandiego.

Val is one of champions of the Cebuano culture and his tribe has been growing with more people now aware of our roots and our rich history.

Belated greetings go to Miguel ‘Mickey’ Palao, who turned a year older yesterday.

More power! – THE FREEMAN