Raymond: Track oval repair is contractor's responsibility

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City government will not ask any financial assistance from the provincial government for the repair of the rubberized oval of the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) that will be used for the upcoming Capitol-organized Pasigarbo sa Sugbo.

Cebu City acting Mayor Raymond Garcia, in a recent interview with the media, stressed that the repair is a “back job” and he even announced such undertaking before the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo rehearsals have started.

“Dili man, backjob na. So that's part of the contract,” Garcia said, referring to corrections needed to the CCSC’s track oval after the city-hosted Palarong Pambansa last month that showed the oval to be 400-meter short of the standard requirement.

Although it was only the incorrect lining that was highlighted by the technical team of the Palarong Pambansa that caused the invalidation of some athletics’ record, some sources also told The Freeman that even the thickness of the red rubber granules was also sub-standard.

According to some sources the red rubber did not reach 13mm in depth.

As a result, right after the Palaro, the rubber already showed visible spots of the black rubber underneath the red granules.

When participants of this year’s Pasigarbo sa Sugbo started their practices earlier this week, more damages in the rubberized oval were seen.

“We are not assured nga dili maguba ang track oval labi nag nagtukod silag stage like before nagdalag silag mga puthaw, naa silay mga sakyanan, mga bug-at kaayo ilang gipangdala na mga speaker ug unsa pa na diha,” said acting Mayor Garcia in an interview with reporters earlier.

Further, there is also no assurance that the oval will not have any damage because of the Pasigarbo, but mayor Garcia said, even before the Pasigarbo, he also said that the track oval will undergo major repair.

“So there is no assurance na dili maguba ang oval but you know I’ve already said this and I will say it again nga right after the Pasigarbo, ato manang ipa major repair ang atong track oval, ang rubber so that ma perfect najud na nato,” he said.

“It just shows noh nga dili gud kaayo ko satisfied sa trabaho sa aning contractor ana nga oval. Rest assured we will not pay him in full not unless ma satisfied ko sa ilang trabaho,” Garcia stressed.

Corrections of the oval may take a month, which will start after the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo

“Akong initial nga giingon nga isira jud na nako bahala nag it would take one month so that masakto jud ang curing ug masakto jud ang pagtaod. Pero niduol man gud ang Cebu City Sports Center Board…they came to me and they said, ‘Mayor tan-awa ragud ni, P1.5 million in one month ang income. Sayang sad gyud kaayo og ato ning i-close ang track oval’ and they were also saying that majority of the fees collected came from the use of track oval,” added Garcia.

The correction instead will be done in segments.

“Niingon sila nga ‘Mayor basin ma istorya kono nato ang contractor nga e-segment per segment atong pag ayo ba’ which I am also looking into pero I cannot give a final answer to that not unless I can talk to the contractor and I could talk to the engineering department,” Garcia said.

The city government already partially paid the contractor, but no exact figures were disclosed.

“Yes naa nani initial payment. When I came in as an acting mayor, it had already been awarded and the first or second payment has already been done. I don't know noh, I have to look at the records but I know for a fact that payment has already been done,” Garcia added.

Garcia disclosed that even before the Palaro, the contractor already told him they will make everything right.

“There has already been an assurance even before the Palaro kapila naman mi nag meeting…niingon gud siya(contractor) nga iya jud ning tarongon, ayohon kay matay di najud siya makabalik pa sa Cebu City og di na niya buhaton og tarong,” ended Garcia. — Jonavie Villa