[1] Calling the track oval fiasco the "spoiler" in the generally successful national sports competition and Cebu City's "splendid" hosting that "exceeded expectations," author Councilor de los Santos asked the acting city mayor to provide the result of his investigation.
[2] Moves aimed to empathize with athletes who suffered from track oval fiasco and instruct Cebu City and other LGUs that will host Palaro in the future.
[3] Lapses in 2024 Palaro and past Sinulog celebrations question Cebu City's efficiency in organizing big events, de los Santos says in speech.
DE LOS SANTOS'S PUSH. The Cebu City Council resolutions last Wednesday on the recently concluded Palarong Pambansa -- which Cebu City hosted July 9 to 16, 2024 -- were topped by congratulations to the host and organizers, including private-sector partners and other stakeholders.
Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos accompanied her multiple congratulations to people and institutions involved in the 2024 Palaro with a push for investigation on the oval track controversy and a request for a final report on total money from the City and other sources and liquidation on the spending.
"THE SPOILER." De los Santos, in her July 24, 2024 privilege speech, branded as the "spoiler," in an otherwise hugely successful event, the dispute over the track oval at the Palaro major site, the Cebu City Sports Center at Abellana School grounds in Cebu City.
De los Santos, who hails from BOPK, political rival of the dominant party Barug, said the oval track, "centerpiece for track and field events, "has become a source of embarrassment" for the host city and the organizers," and has been talked about in media and the sports community.
The "critical error," de los Santos said, "occurred in the marking of the lane lines," resulting in "one lane being found to be 1.5 meters short of the standard 400-meter distance and the other lanes to have an average discrepancy of 0.88 meters."
The discrepancy at the track oval could be corrected for its future use. But the damage on some Palaro 2024 events was already done. Councilor de los Santos told her colleagues and the public that 11 of 13 athletic event records that were broken were not recognized, "impacting 19 athletes in five regions."
Not enough to ruin the entire Palaro but to de los Santos -- "having participated in numerous marathons and Ironman competitions" -- she "shared a deep connection with the dedication and spirit" of the competing athletes. She said she, in her personal capacity, apologized to the athletes and coaches affected by the flawed track oval, "an empathy," she said, that "was still absent."
CULPRITS NEED TO BE IDENTIFIED, SANCTIONED, de los Santos in effect said in her speech. "Who should bear responsibility? ... What is the responsibility of the Local Government? ... And the contractor?" The councilor said rehabilitation of the track oval was under the control and supervision of the Cebu City Government and the bidding was managed by the City. "We must get to the bottom of these questions, Mr. Chairman."
TWO THINGS THE PUBLIC KNOWS: Fact: A total of 11 record-breaking performances in athletic events at the Palaro were "deemed invalid" because of the substandard tracks. The winners got medals but their records were not recognized. They complained of "unfairness" and organizers' failure to ensure accuracy in track measurements ("saddening, disappointing, frustrating"). To the visitors, it amounted to inefficiency, if not recklessness.
Fact: On July 13, Francis Cesar Bringas, Palaro secretary-general, admitted findings on the track oval's measurements. On July 16, news reports said Cebu City Sports Commission chairman John Pages confirmed the discrepancy in track oval measurements: an 0.88-meter deviation from the standard 400-meter measurement.
STILL, THIRD-PARTY EXPERTS MAY BE NEEDED to satisfy the disputants, including the contractor, SBD Builders, who claimed that work on other facilities and equipment caused the flaws in the track oval. And the City Legal Office was supposed to look into the "terms of reference of the contract" to determine if SBD met all of them.
PROBE MAY REFLECT ON PERFORMANCE not just of those who made the preparations for the Palaro, who include preventively suspended Mayor Mike Rama who led the months of early spadework, and Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, who led actual implementation of plans in the homestretch.
The City Council resolutions were authored by an opposition member who was reported to be running for city north congresswoman under BOPK's slate 10 months or so away. But then the resolutions were passed by the entire Sanggunian, not just Councilor de los Santos, voted for, or were not objected to, by administration councilors.
What are the chances of the City Council getting the results it asks from the city mayor, given the history of the executive department just ignoring several Sanggunian requests for information and pleas to implement resolutions?
CHANCES MAYOR GARCIA WILL ACT. Councilor de los Santos told me Wednesday, July 24, she's still hopeful the acting mayor will "walk his talk," referring to "most of his public pronouncements," which declared he "wants transparency in all transactions of the city government and wants to expedite any city government transaction."
If he ignores these resolutions, de los Santos said, his advocacy of "Resulta" is "just for show." The councilor apparently used, in pushing her cause, "Resulta and Garantiya" (or RG from Raymond Garcia), Garcia's policy direction and slogan, which he mentioned in his July 3, 2024 state-of-the-city address.