EDITORIAL — Substandard or something else?

The rubberized track oval of the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) is in need of repair again.

According to CCSC executive chairman Brando Velasquez, damage was found not just where runners start a race but also in other parts of the track in the form of cracks and holes.

“Naay ubang dagko, naay uban sad gagmay but eventually katong gagmay padung gud to’s dagko,” Velasquez said in a story in this newspaper.

It has been less than a year since the rubberized track underwent rehabilitation, allegedly from damage caused during the Sinulog ritual showdown.

This also wasn’t the first time the rubberized track oval was reported damaged.

Velasquez believes the materials used were substandard, a bold claim considering how “substandard” is the go-to word today given the flood-control projects corruption issue and all that.

While we are tempted to say that perhaps it’s not just contractors of flood-control projects scrimping on materials, we are waiting for the contractors of the rubberized track to explain their side.

Because while Velasquez might be right in saying the materials used were not of suitable quality, he might also be wrong. The contractors could have used the best materials for the track available, and this could also have been the result of misuse or something else.

Not to say we don’t value what we have, but sometimes many of us take what we have for granted. Remember that playground donated to a community in the south district? A few months later it was run to the ground because of poor maintenance. That boardwalk beside an estero beautified to make a barangay in the north district more livable? It barely looks beautiful now. A wall painted white to make an area look cleaner? Vandalized with graffiti.

We aren’t saying in this case that the track oval was vandalized or that there was deliberate damage done to it by those seeking a cheap thrill, but that, taking into account all possibilities, aside from the use of substandard materials it may also have been the result of poor maintenance or misuse.