The week has so far been anti-climactic.
Yes, Cebu is currently hosting the largest sports meet in the country, with more than 12,000 student-athletes from 17 regions competing in various events that are held across the metro. And yet, I don’t feel their presence.
I should know since I pass by the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC), which is the main venue for the Palarong Pambansa 2024, almost every day.
Yes, there was much fanfare during the official opening last Tuesday, July 9, but only because national VIPs were in town, with no less than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. giving the welcome speech to the participants.
Vice President Sara Duterte was supposed to show up because she had said that she would attend, but she suddenly changed her mind and skipped the event, even though reports said she was in the vicinity. There really was no excuse for her absence. I know she is the outgoing education secretary, but her presence would have been a big boost to the department that organizes and governs the Palaro every year.
Duterte was at the opening of the Learners’ Convergence Philippines, which was held that same day, albeit in Lapu-Lapu City across the strait.
But hey, I don’t know what goes on in her mind, and I won’t pretend I do.
Still, it’s amazing what a change of administration can do to supposed friendships. I guess Cebu will be seeing less of the Vice President in the future. Then again, it’s too early for the next presidential election, so a lot can still happen.
As for Michael Rama, the elected mayor of Cebu City, his no-show was no surprise. He is currently serving a six-month preventive suspension order.
Mind you, he was invited. Perhaps he didn’t go out of delicadeza. After all, he and Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who was in attendance, are not on good terms. As for his relationship with his vice mayor, now Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, I’m just going to leave it to the public to decide.
Come to think of it, Rama did all the dirty work, so to speak, moving heaven and earth so that the City would snag the hosting honors.
Just imagine if the Ombudsman hadn’t ruled against Rama’s favor. The opening ceremony could have been a several-hours-long extravaganza with the elected mayor as the star of the show. Rama would have probably serenaded the participants with a few of his signature songs, and they would have had to enjoy every moment of it.
But that never happened.
Don’t get me wrong. The show still went on, but it would have been more interesting if Rama had been there and was allowed to do what he usually does in events that he is invited to.
Meanwhile, I am not sure if the arrival of the Palaro participants has made a difference to the local economy.
Majority of them are minors. Of course, they have an allowance coming to Cebu, but I think it’s only enough to buy a few trinkets and perhaps a souvenir shirt. I don’t know. I could be wrong. I did overhear some officials from different regions who were excited to go to the mall. I’m sure they have more pocket money than the student-athletes. Obviously, they’re not from the National Capital Region. And I don’t mean anything by this statement. I am merely stating the obvious.
Still, it was nice to see the excitement etched on their faces.
And there were reports of taxi drivers overcharging Palaro participants. That was immediately taken care of by authorities. Kudos to them.
Otherwise, it has been a ho-hum week.
That is, until members of the national technical committee claim that the track oval at the CCSC is 20-meter short of the 400-meter measurement standard.
Of course, these are the same people who were in charge of making sure that things would be in place for the event, including facilities meeting the games’ guidelines.
So get this. Did they just accuse themselves of not doing their jobs?
Hmm. At least we have something to look forward to this weekend.