The full rehabilitation of the rubberized track of the Cebu City Sports Center will have to wait after next year?s Sinulog mardi gras.
The city, according to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, is willing to spend P35 million to change the dilapidated rubberized track. However, it could not afford to set aside more than P100 million for the complete rehabilitation of the entire sports center.
Osmeña said that it will be better if the track would be repaired after next year's Sinulog festivities to give it more time to be fully cured. He said it would be very impractical to do it now and have it used after a few months for the Sinulog.
Although the city has enough budget for the rehabilitation, its repair should be done in such way that it will have enough time to be fully cured.
There are already three contractors who are willing to participate in the bidding process for its construction and according to Osmeña, one of them is the same one who built the existing track.
One of the considerations that will be looked upon by the city government in accepting any deal from any contractor, aside from the cost, is its track record.
The mayor said the city will still evaluate what the contractors can offer and will properly study their proposals.
But even if the mayor had discussed this matter to some of his consultants, Cebu City Councilor Jose Daluz III, chairman of the committee on budget and finance, said he has not received any project proposals from any of the councilors. He is even wondering who is going to sponsor that proposal.
However, he said that if it will be taken by Osmeña as a priority project this year or the following year, they will have to discuss on how it will be budgeted.
The city just had a revenue surplus of P250 million last year and it is expected to double this year. This means the money for the rehabilitation of the worn-out rubberized track is not a problem.
However, the mayor finds it hard to include the rehabilitation of the entire sports center since there are other priorities the city has to take care of.
