Skateboarders during an earlier visit at the site proposed for the construction of a Cebu City skatepark. | Photo Courtesy of Councilor Joel Garganera
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Skateboarding enthusiasts will have to wait a little longer for the promised Cebu City skatepark to be realized.
Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr., the deputy mayor for sports, said that the start of the construction project was postponed until after the May 13 midterm election to wait for the lifting of the ban against the implementation of government-funded construction projects.
Of the P12 million project cost, P7 million will come from City Hall coffers while the remaining P5 million came from a donation made by Ma. Victoria Osmeña, the older sister of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
“Apiki naman gyod sa oras kay election na gyod. Nananghid nako ni Mayor Tommy (Osmeña) nga after elections na gyod,” Gabuya said.
(There is not enough time because it is already the election season. I already sought the permission of Mayor Tomas Osmeña to postpone its implementation and he agreed to delay start the construction project until after the election.)
But Gabuya gave the assurance that the project plan and needed permits were already completed by the project designers and engineers.
“Everything is ready for (the official start of the) construction. All the necessary permits are complete,” he said.
Project implementation was supposed to start in November 2018. It was scheduled for completion in April 2019.
However, Gabuya said they opted to delay project implementation until such time that they are able to secure all permits and clearances required for the construction project.
So far, filling materials donated by private individuals were already dumped in a portion of Plaza Independencia, where the prosed skatepark will be built, to fill the area.
The skatepark will stand on a 4,000 square meter city-owned lot that is located behind the Fort San Pedro in Barangay San Roque.
Barug PDP-Laban Councilor Joel Garganera criticized the delay in the project implementation.
“It is May now and where is the skatepark? A lot of skate enthusiasts are asking where it is now?” he said.
Garganera said that the administration should keep its promise on the skatepark construction to ensure the safety of enthusiasts who now use the sidewalks to practice. /dcb