I know I should stop writing about the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC), lest I be accused of being obsessed.
I’ve been called my things – tawdry, flighty, snooty, smarty-pants, sexy… okay, so I’ve never been called sexy but hey, it can still happen – but obsessed is not one of them.
And yet I just can’t ignore what I’ve learned about their plans for the facility, especially since it involves millions of taxpayers’ money, almost P65 million in fact.
Yes, I know they will be closing the track oval for a month starting on Aug. 24 for the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo and then for the rubber surface to be repaired. I also know SBD Builders will implement the project at no cost to the City Government since it is still under the warranty period.
At any rate, that’s not why my blood pressure almost shot to the roof. What really got me going was the announcement that the CCSC would undergo another round of rehabilitation that would affect the multipurpose building, the grandstand and the swimming pool area.
I mean the City shut down the facility for more than a year to pave the way for renovation works in time for the Palaro which the City hosted last July.
And wasn’t it last May that John Pages, chairman of the Cebu City Sports Commission, unveiled the improved swimming area, including the two pools, shower area and hall?
Back then, John boasted that no government funds were used in the beautification of the pool facilities as the renovation was done through a P25 million donation from the private sector.
Hey, that’s great. I am happy that there are individuals out there who are willing to part with their money for such a worthy cause, out of the goodness of their hearts, not expecting any favors in return because that’s how the system works.
No quid pro quos in Cebu City. Ahem.
Still, it would be nice to know how the donation was spent, though. Like a detailed accounting. Not because I want to nitpick – well, okay, maybe just a little bit – but because I don’t want the City to duplicate what has already been done.
You see, according to the Cebu City Government’s official website, the swimming pool grandstand will get a new paint job, its comfort rooms will get new tiles, there will be new plumbing installed as well as an electrical system.
Anyone who has been back to the CCSC since it reopened to the public a few weeks ago can attest that the swimming pool grandstand has been repainted. I don’t know about the tiles in the comfort rooms since I don’t make a habit of hanging out in such areas but I’m pretty sure the P25 million donation also covered their replacements.
The fact that the City pushed through with the Palaro and held its opening ceremony at the CCSC with no less than the President himself as the special guest would suggest the whole sports facility was presentable to the more than 10,000 student-athletes and guests from across the country with logic dictating that this was because the CCSC already received its much-needed facelift.
I mean, the City had ample time to prepare. Actually, it had more than a year to do what needed to be done. But I am not going to dwell on that.
Anyway, let’s look at what else they plan to do in round two of the rehabilitation, shall we?
According to the Cebu City Government’s official website, “this will include the excavation for a ramp; installation of rebars, a collapsible stage, doors and windows, pavers and new plumbing; and removal of obstructions; among others, at the multipurpose building.”
For the grandstand, the City will install new glass windows, as well as electrical and fire protection systems and security cameras. It will also install a new pressure tank and booster pump, among others.
Oh, and lest I forget, the grandstand will also get a new paintjob.
Granted that these things need to be done, my question is, what then did the City do in all those months that it closed the facility to the public? And where did the money that was allotted to the Palaro preparations go?
Perhaps the City came up with its own version of a Potemkin village. All for show.