The Palarong Pambansa 2024 is finally over.
Was it a success? Well, I guess it depends on who you ask. I doubt the Cebu City Government will say otherwise. Why would it shoot itself in the foot?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m pretty sure city officials worked tirelessly to make the event as problem-free as possible, considering they had more than a year to prepare.
I mean they have deprived us, the tax-paying public, access to the oval since May of last year because it needed a facelift.
So the oval finally got its makeover, just weeks before the start of the running competitions. I’m not going to get into this again because I am tired of listening to myself rant about the oval’s rehabilitation timeline.
But to those who are wondering, the oval is still off-limits.
Why? Well, the contractor has to fix the wear and tear the oval has undergone after a week’s use by athletes. Who would have thought that their tiny feet would cause so much destruction?
Again, I will not delve into this topic because that’s not what shook the core of my very being.
Okay, I’m being a tad melodramatic but can you blame me?
Government officials tried to sweep a conspiracy under the rug right in front of our very eyes. And no one seemed to care. They must have done such a good job at deflecting the issue because I am the only one reacting.
Given I am not exactly impartial, still I think the matter should have disturbed a lot of people. Maybe it did, initially, but they probably didn’t have time to be shocked because those involved were quick on their feet.
Unfortunately, they weren’t quick enough to stop one of their own from blurting out that the oval was substandard one day into the competition.
Two surveyors had measured its circumference. Both came up with different results, prompting the Philippine Sports Commission to tap a third party to conduct another measurement. When the verdict was finally in – surprise, surprise – the oval is a few meters short.
Those who followed the Ovalnovela were exposed to its many plots twists and different villains.
Organizers insisted on pinning the blame on the contractor. However, they clarified that there was nothing wrong with the oval itself. It was the lane markings that had been botched, they said.
As expected in these scenarios, the contractor fired back and denied the allegations. It said it had nothing to do with the lane markings as these were painted by someone recommended by the organizers.
What was and I think continues to be at stake are the records made by student-athletes in the running races beyond 100 meters.
The organizers were adamant that no new records would be recognized if the oval’s measurement turned out to be incorrect. And rightly so. But how would you explain that to the student-athletes who trained very hard to achieve their lifelong dream?
And this is why I think the organizers, and by that I mean the Department of Education (DepEd), tried to cover up the oval snafu days before the start of the competition.
I am not making this up.
That’s what they did. Or at least that what they tried to do.
DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Cesar Bringas, on Saturday, July 13, confirmed that they were aware that the oval was short of the 400-meter world standard before the start of the games, which was why they called a “solidarity” meeting on July 8 to inform the coaches about the problem. They agreed to push through with the competition at the Cebu City Sports Center, but with one caveat: only results of the 100-meter race and under would be tallied.
All would have been well and good and the public wouldn’t have known about the backroom deal had it not been for the whistleblower.
And if you don’t think any of this is cringe-worthy, especially since it involved education officials, then perhaps I have to recheck my moral compass.