EDITORIAL - It’s sad Cebu lacks a modern sports center

With the processing of the necessary permits now finished, the construction of the world-class skate park behind Fort San Pedro at the Plaza Independencia in Cebu City will finally start following the May 13 midterm elections.

City Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr. said the architect of the park and the Cebu City Sports Commission have complied with all the permits, including those for the facility’s development, planning, and electrical, among others.

“Ang update sa skate park, everything is ready, all the permits…Two or three days ago, nagpinirmahay na ang mga engineers. In other words, complete na g’yud ang pagtrabaho nalang,” said Gabuya, the chairman of the City Council committee of games, amusement and sports.

The P5-million skate park, which broke ground five months ago, will have a mini-grandstand, a flat course for beginners, rink with street course, half-pipe, bowl, and pump track. Phase 1, expected to finish in three months, involves the flat course and street course.

This is a welcome development. We are really in dire need of modern sports facilities for our athletes. It’s really unfortunate that Cebu City, being the most advanced city outside Metro Manila, lacks a world-class sports center.

Few years ago, there was a proposal by a bigtime developer to establish a huge sports facility at the South Road Properties. Sadly, the move failed to take off owing to the political conflict among city officials.

Now, the skate park’s proponents hope for the immediate completion of the project. Skateboarding champ Margielyn Didal, the most vocal proponent of the project, and other enthusiasts, are really eager to see it finished so they can immediately use it for their training.

And aside from the skate park, we need other sports facilities to sprout around the city and in the metro. It is unfortunate that Cebu, a leading source of famous national athletes for decades, is still grappling for modern sports facilities.