Talisay skate park now open

CEBU, Philippines — Those who like to shred on their skateboards finally have a place to go hone their skills after Talisay City finally opened its skate park the other night.

During the inauguration, Talisay Mayor Samsam Gullas said the park was built after he took note of the plight of the skateboarding community of Cebu, including from his own area.

He even allowed local skateboarders to use the side of the City Hall after office hours at one point in time while still looking for a permanent place for them. He later facilitated the use of one barangay hall for them.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some plans were set aside, but Gullas and other city officials later decided to set aside a part of the lot fronting the City Hall for the skate park as well as allocated the budget for it.

It isn’t exclusively for skateboarders. To maximize the space, aside from the skate park itself, there is also a family park where kids can play in a playground. There is also a food court where people can enjoy good food and music.

“All eyes are on the skate park, that people tend to forget that there is a customized children’s playground still designed by world-renowned designer Kenneth Cobonpue… While it’s a skate park, it is also a family park. There are children playgrounds, a mini zip-line, and a food court para ang makalaag diri dili lang skaters but the whole family,” Gullas said.

Cobonpue congratulated Gullas and the city officials, saying Gullas “walks his talk” and not just makes promises.

National skateboarding team members Motic Panugalinog and Renz Gelig along with Boy Maranga were among the first ones to do a test run of the said skate park and thanked Talisay City for building the facility for them to hone their skills.

Panugalinog added he liked the design compared to other skate parks because the flow was more natural, making it safer for users.

Skateboarding olympian Margielyn Didal said she also looks forward to trying it out and even holding training sessions there soon. She missed the opening as she is currently in Los Angeles for some prior commitments.

Before the inauguration of the skate park, city official also broke ground of its track oval, football field, and swimming pool at the Talisay City Central School earlier that afternoon.(CEBU NEWS)