Quarters ready for Palaro athletes

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City is now 98% ready to host the Palarong Pambansa, said acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia after being satisfied with billeting quarters preparations.

Garcia, who personally visited some billeting quarters in the city yesterday, expressed his satisfaction during his ocular inspection, emphasizing only the need for minor cleaning.

“I’m satisfied… it’s just a matter of cleaning already the area,” Garcia said.

Among the billeting quarters Garcia visited are schools including the Tisa Elementary School, the Labangon Elementary School, and the Abellana National High School.

The said billeting areas are intended to accommodate over 12,000 delegates, who will be arriving starting July 6 for the biggest sporting event in the country.

When asked about the water supply, Garcia assured that there will be nothing to worry about as the city’s barangays will also help.

“We really never had any problems with supply sa water kay grabe kaayo ang support gikan sa mga barangay offices. Naa mana silay disasters sa barangay, naa mana silay mga fire trucks mao man na’y mag-supply sa atong tubig,” Garcia said.

Garcia also said that the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and Metropolitan Cebu Water District have also pledged their support in terms of water supply for the event.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Department of Education assistant schools division superintendent Adolf Aguilar, who was also with Garcia during the inspection, highlighted the deep wells excavated to help deal with the water issue.

“We added additional deep wells so that ang fourth floor nato ng mga CR (comfort rooms) is naa g’yuy mga tubig… kung kulangan gani og water supply, we added deep wells to complement the water district supply,” Aguilar said.

Aguilar also said that non-teaching personnel are working on the preparations since the teachers are still on their mandatory 30-day vacation which will end on June 30.

However, Aguilar said full-blast preparations are expected starting July 1 with some staff of the regional delegates who will put up decorations in their designated billeting quarters. — Nicholas Jon Malaga, CNU intern