CEBU, Philippines — Despite being under six months preventive suspension, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has vowed that preparations for the city’s hosting of the Palarong Pambansa in July will continue unhampered.
“The show must go on,” Rama said.
The mayor made the assurance during the closing ceremony of the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) on Thursday.
“I do not know whether I will be there but I will not stop (monitoring the Palaro). I assure you, whatever is going to happen, my heart belongs to sports, my heart belongs to the children, my heart belongs to the schools, my heart belongs to the spirit of nation building-national building through sports,” Rama told the CVIRAA delegates.
The mayor recognized all the officials involved in the preparations for the city government’s hosting of CVIRAA Meet 2024. Rama said that despite the challenges, including the alleged refusal of a local government unit to host some of the events, they were able to pull it through.
He explained that they asked an LGU to host the track events since the Cebu City Sports Center is still undergoing renovation but they were allegedly declined. It was the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu who came to the rescue by agreeing to play host.
“Nindot ang CVIRAA, among gitrabaho gyud bisa’g wala nami ka hatagi og opportunity sa usa ka LGU… And I thanked and bring my snappy salute to John Pages (Cebu City Sports Commission chairman) for the CVIRAA and especially sa preparation sa Palarong Pambansa… Including not only John Pages but (DepEd-Cebu City superintendent) Nimfa Bongo, and (assistant superintendent) Adolf Aguilar, including Dondon (City Councilor Donaldo Hontiveros) and the rest,” Rama said.
The experience, Rama said, has strengthened their resolve in hosting the upcoming national sporting event.
“Mao nang niingon ko, the show must go on and we should never be cowered,” Rama said.
Pages and Aguilar also made the same assurance that the “show will definitely go on” with almost everything already in place.
“So far, all systems go na, team work na lang,” Aguilar told The Freeman.
In a separate interview, Pages disclosed that an official from DepEd Central Office also called him up after learning about the mayor’s suspension. Apparently the DepEd Central office is worried that the preparations for the Palarong Pambansa will be derailed by Rama’s suspension.
Pages said he assured the officials of DepEd in Manila that everything is “in place”.
“Okay raman gyud kay everything is in place naman gyud…Gitawgan gani ko kahapon, I assured her that everything is set…If ever…The budget, the organization, we are all set gyud,” said Pages.
Some improvements, however, have to be made like the oval which is yet to be done before the month ends or by June.
“It’s a good thing that despite the additional budget needed, it was good the city hosted the regional meet first to see what needs to be improved,” Pages said.
“We still have two months to prepare…For sure, naa pay daghang nakit-an na i- improve…So tutukan gyud na,” Pages said.