ARGUABLY one of basketball’s fans, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno made an appeal to fellow hoop lovers in the locality to be extra patient in dealing with home quarantine in these most trying times.
Moreno who used to play hoops four times a week with his own basketball team, said he understands the feeling and the itch of being virtually detached with “the one you love” while staying home to be safe from the global scare coronavirus.
“We have to be patient. Kumbaga sa basketball naa pay last two minutes winning kita...we’re in control of the game but dili lang gyod kita magkumpyansa. The virus might just be lurking in the dark so wala say tapok nga dula maglikay, stay at home lang una kita,” was his message to all “basketball addicts” in one of his daily conferences with the press.
Nonetheless, many youngsters were still seen sweating it out in any basket courts available in not so vulgar sites around the city.
To ensure that basketball activity will be effectively crippled, some barangays have deployed personnel to monitor and even plucked the rims out from makeshift courts, especially in particular areas with known hard-headed individuals.
“Permiro gi-padlocked ang ring. Karon gilangkat na gyod ang poste na lang nabilin. Dili sa Covid apan sa high blood ta ini mamatay kay walay pasingot,” one resident from Zone 5, barangay Bonbon told SunStar Cagayan de Oro.
(First, they padlocked the ring, now they remove it, only the post remains. We might die not because of Covid-19 but from high blood pressure because we aren’t able to exercise and sweat.)
City sports chief Jaymar Rivera said the top cagers in Cagayan de Oro, most of them employed at City Hall with JO (job order) status, have to make do losing an extra income via “panalay” or competing in cash-rich invitational tourneys throughout Mindanao.
“Reinforce sa sila karon sa rescue team,” Rivera said.
Coach Jaime “Diding” Rivera said Team CDO anchored by the likes of Jun Daanoy, Bodie Tamparong, Jeff Morial, Wellan Munoz and Elmor del Puerto--used to dominate big commercial leagues in Mindanao with P50,000 up to P200,000 guaranteed cash prizes for the champion.
“Wala tay mahimo pahulay sa kay na-abtan sa Covid,” Rivera said.
City Hall players will also be missing their P200 per practice allowance for the meantime.
“Pit-os kaayo labina sa ako nga usa lang ka uyamot nga security guard,” said Vulture Balabat of Moreno’s special team for 60 and above court warriors.
For Metrobank worker Charome Marte, a member of Mayor Moreno’s executive team, the absence of regular basketball session is not a problem at all.
He proudly joined the city’s “Disinfection Team” that goes around spraying or misting households and government offices to disinfect surroundings of possible wayward viruses.
“Dire na lang usa kita dala exercise maka serbisyo pa sa katawhan,” Marte said.
“Kalimtan sa namo ang basketball jerseys and sneakers, pulihan sa boots ug ‘sauna suit’ plus 16 liters pang disinfect nga anaa sa among mga likod, plus iro pa nga molakag sa amo,” added Marte.