Young initiates move for oval's facelift

CEBU, Philippines - After hearing the voice of the people through signature campaign, the city government of Cebu made an initial move geared towards the renovation of the Cebu City Sports Center’s 15-year-old rubberized track oval by entertaining suppliers that are likely to be tapped to undergo the facelift.

Former City councilor Joy Augustus Young personally interrogated the prospective suppliers who presented their products in a meeting yesterday. Others present were Sportswriters Association of Cebu (SAC) president John Pages, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC)-7 coordinator Dr. Danilo G. Villadolid, and CCSC manager Ricky Ballesteros.

The group associated with five suppliers but only two were present - Reydan Victoriano of Crayon Sporting Goods Inc. and Glendol Badon of 8G Marketing. The latter was the one responsible for the construction of track ovals in Dumaguete, Ilo-ilo, Tacloban, and the Rizal Memorial Stadium to mention a few.

“There is no problem with the money or the budget. It’s a matter of prioritizing. We have to balance it out. Hopefully, this will be approved and be done this year,” said Young.

Young added that Cebu City North District Rep. Raul del Mar also showed his support by donating a certain amount for the renovation of the oval.

“This will be done initially, the same thing the way we constructed the oval,” said Young.

Young was among those who spearheaded the establishment of the track over when the City hosted the 1994 Palarong Pambansa.

“We made the right decision by visiting all the sports centers of the Philippines , that’s why the oval lasted this long,” he said.

Young said they had an estimated budget of P35 to P40 million for the track oval’s repair. – Marigold P. Lebumfacil   (THE FREEMAN)