IT HAS been seven years since Cebu City promised to build a skatepark in honor of Olympic skateboarder Margielyn Didal, but today, skaters still have nowhere to go, and local leaders are once again being pressed to explain why.

Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover, during a privilege speech at the city council’s regular session on July 15, called out city officials and questioned the delay in constructing the long-promised skatepark.

He said residents and skaters have been asking him about the project, and he has no answers to give.

“Daghan ang mga negative comments sa mga citizens lakip sa pangutana ‘asa na aduna bay skate park ang Cebu City’. Wa koy matubag kay wala sad ko nasayod,” Alcover told the council.

“Aduna koy nadunggan kaniadto nga adunay plano ang syudad kabahin niini apan wala nako masayod kon unsay nahitaboa aning butanga,” he added.

The issue resurfaced following a viral video Alcover shared online showing young skateboarders and BMX riders performing stunts along a roadside near Plaza Independencia.

This, he said, highlights the lack of safe and dedicated spaces for the growing urban sports community.

“Kon magpabilin nga anha sila magduwa-duwa or mag-practice sa karsada kilid Plaza Independencia… delikado kaayo nga madisgrasya sila,” he warned.

Alcover filed three motions during the session. He asked that his privilege speech be officially noted, that the Office of the Mayor conduct a feasibility study for a Cebu City skatepark, and that copies of his speech be furnished to Mayor Nestor Archival Sr., the Cebu City Sports Commission, and Margielyn Didal herself.

The clamor for a skatepark dates back to 2018, after Cebuana skater Didal won gold at the Asian Games.

Then-mayor Tomas Osmeña spearheaded the groundbreaking of a proposed facility behind Fort San Pedro, backed by a P5-million donation from his sister, Minnie Osmeña.

But that plan never saw completion.

Successive administrations cited land use issues, unliquidated donations, and election-related delays as factors that derailed the project.

Despite scattered efforts to revive the plan, including a 2021 push by Councilor Joel Garganera and another attempt in 2024 by Councilor Rey Gealon, no actual skatepark has been built in the city to date.

Even neighboring cities like Talisay, Mandaue, and Danao now have their own skateparks, and Eastern Samar has a skate facility named after Didal, despite Cebu City being her hometown.

Didal, who hails from Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, has consistently advocated for more public skateparks in the country. In a past interview, she recalled how skateboarders like herself were often apprehended for using public spaces.

“Before, skateboarding [was] illegal in the Philippines. When you [were] carrying a skateboard and you [tried] to skate on the streets, the police [would] apprehend you,” she said.

While she managed to open a private skatepark in 2021 at Soul Sierra in Busay, it remains largely inaccessible for many local skaters due to distance and costs.(TGP)

• Tags
• #Ceby City
• #Margielyn Didal
• #Skatepark
• #Pastor “Jun” Alcover
• #Privilege Speech
• #Delay
• #Plaza Independencia
• #Nestor Archival Sr.