On the run in the beautiful island
Posts tagged Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem
Citom wants to make Cebu City roads safe for runners, cyclists: Jakosalem
Jun 30th
Meyrick Jacalan was emphatic: Cebu City has a huge potential to be a sports tourism hub similar to what CamSur has become.
We have more hotels and we’re accessible because we have more flights coming and we have shipping services, he said. He recounted the complaints by triathletes on the difficulty of bringing their gear to CamSur for competitions.
But first, he said, pausing to take a sip from his cup of coffee that had been cleared of the dollop of whipped cream placed there by mistake, let’s make our city’s streets safe for runners and bikers.
SAFER ROADS. Cebu City Marathon organizers Meyrick Jacalan (left) and John Pages (center) of the Cebu Executive Runners Club with outgoing Cebu City Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem, who has been named Cebu City Traffic Operations Management chairman. Jakosalem said Citom wants to make Cebu City’s roads safer for runners and cyclists. CLICK TO ENLARGEJacalan, one of the core organizers responsible for the hugely successful staging of the Cebu City Marathon, said Cebu City’s streets aren’t friendly to bikers, runners and even pedestrians.
“Motorists should be taught to share the road with bikers and runners. As a start, we can teach drivers to give importance to runners,” he said, “What’s a few minutes of inconvenience on a Sunday morning to the benefits of a community adopting a healthy lifestyle?”
Local government support
Jacalan said the support of the local government unit is crucial to the success of turning Cebu into a sports tourism hub. He said it’s something Cebu City can offer, citing City Hall’s key role in the success of the Cebu City Marathon.
With the way things are developing at the Cebu City Hall, it looks like things are looking up for the local running scene.
Cebu City Hall to set aside up to P40M to repair sports center track oval
Jan 21st
The Cebu City Government will set aside P35 million to P40 million in the next scheduled supplemental budget to pay for the replacement of the rubberized track oval at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña previously pledged to set aside funds for the repair of the tracks once City Hall starts earning from its South Road Properties (SRP) project. With the recent down payment by SM Prime Holdings Inc. of P677 million for the SRP lot it purchased, Osmeña says the City now has funds for the repair.
CEBU CITY SPORTS CENTER TRACK OVAL. The Cebu City Government is set to replace the 8-lane 400-meter rubberized track oval of the Cebu City Sports Center. The facility will be closed during the repairs, which could take from 2 to 3 months. Click on photo to enlarge image. (PHOTO BY MAX LIMPAG)Cebu City Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem said City Hall will immediately bid the contract out once funds are allocated.
CCSC manager Ricky Ballesteros said repair would take from 2 to 3 months. Ballesteros said the CCSC will be closed while the track is being repaired.
With the closure of the CCSC oval, Jakosalem said he will ask Osmeña to allow runners at the SRP. This is great news for Cebu runners—not only will we be getting a new track oval in a few months time, we’d get the chance to run at the SRP, which is a great route to run on, based on Cebu City Marathon experience.
Cebu City to revive Tri-City Run, use timing chips
Dec 11th
The Cebu City Government will revive the Tri-City Run in next year’s celebration of the Cebu City Charter Day, Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem told CebuRunning last night.
Jakosalem also said the run will use RFID chips to time runners. “I think timing chips are the way to go,” said Jakosalem, chairman of the Cebu City Council’s committee on games, amusements and professional sports.
He said they still have not decided what distances to hold races on but if the Cebu City Marathon on Jan. 10, 2010 is successful, Tri-City Run will have a full 42K route. The Tri-City Marathon got its name from the fact that its route passed the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu. The route of previous stagings of the run covered 25K.
City Hall to close half of roads for Cebu City Marathon
Dec 8th
For the first time in Cebu City, the City Government will be closing half of the road for a run. Cebu City Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem announced in a press briefing yesterday that half of the road of the Cebu City Marathon route will be closed from the firing of the gun at 4 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. The entire stretch of the South Road Properties (SRP), however, will be closed starting at midnight. (For an interactive map of the marathon route, please check our previous article)
Jakosalem and officials of Cebu Executive Runners Club (CERC), which is organizing the Cebu City Marathon 2010, said they decided to close the road to ensure the safety of runners.
RUNNERS’ SAFETY. Organizers Meyrick Jacalan and John Pages of the Cebu Executive Runners Club and Cebu City Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem discuss the closure of the entire SRP route and half of the Cebu City roads that are part of the marathon route on Jan. 10, 2010. Organizers said they pushed for the closure of part of the road to ensure safety of runners. (Photo by Max Limpag)John Pages of CERC said that although there are runs every Sunday in Cebu, roads aren’t closed and runners have to contend with at times impatient drivers angered by the traffic jam. (On a side note, I actually punched the side of a jeepney that cut me off in Mandaue City during the Rock and Run, not to be recommended, believe me.)
In other developments announced in yesterday’s press conference at the City Sports Club:
- Ayala Center Cebu has confirmed that a pre-race pasta party will be held on Jan. 8 at The Terraces. Ayala Center Cebu division head Joy Polloso said there will be free food for the first 500 runners.Polloso also said they are working with Ayala Center Cebu merchants, especially those in Active Zone, to offer registered runners discounts during the marathon expo, which will be held the week before the marathon.
