Damages to the roof of the old College of Human Kinetics gym have prompted its Varsity Sports Office to call off holding the Diliman Games for the first semester.

CHK Dean Leilani Gonzalo said the annual inter-college sporting event was cancelled to make way for the replacement of the old gym’s roof.

Gonzalo said the college has already advised PE classes and varsity teams to find alternative venues on their own since the use of the old gym will soon be limited.

The UP Fighting Maroons are currently holding practice sessions at the Celebrity Sports Club due to the ongoing repairs. Other teams, however, are still looking for possible training venues.

Gonzalo added that the resumption of the Diliman Games in the second semester is still uncertain because materials contractor Ace Hardware estimated the repairs to take six months.

“We do not know yet when [the repairs] will start or when it will end,” said Varsity Sports Director Ariel Juliano.

In a text message, Julio Silvestre, coach of the CMC Wildcats said, “[The cancellation is a] sad happening for enthusiasts and athletes for this semester’s event, especially [for] those graduating this year.”

Gonzalo said CHK’s long-term sports development plan for the university, which includes the construction of a sports complex designed by the Office of the Campus Architect, must be shelved since the repairs are the college’s top priority.

The P1.2 million collected from the students’ athletic fees this semester still falls short of the P1.5 million needed to cover the expenses of varsity teams, she said.

CHK Student Council Chairperson Fidel Ballesteros blames the lack of funding as a hindrance to the improvement of the university’s athletic programs and facilities. The college is facing budget problems since PE is not covered by the basic tuition fee.

“Right now, we can only say that the lack of adequate physical resources is a significant limit to the execution of whatever plan we have for CHK and the university,” he said.

Past experiences of student leaders in the College of Human Kinetics (CHK) student council have led to lack of interest among students to run for the positions.

“Nobody wants to run since the council is usually overworked,” Marla Cuerdo, CHK Student Relations Officer said.

CHK representative Lester Yupingkun said the council performs duties that should otherwise be the concern of the administration.

“Since the administration provides little support to varsity teams, the council busies itself in supporting the teams instead,” Yupingkun added.

As a result, only six out of 12 council posts are expected to be filled for this year’s elections.

Among the six candidates are incumbent CHK representative Yupingkun who is running as chairperson, Sports Science major Niko Paolo Francisco, as councilor, Shereen Badoy as Sports Science representative, John Michael Cargo and Charmie Christine Tomaneng as Physical Education representatives, and Denise Ann Espiridion as Certificate in Sports Science representative.

Raymund Salvador, Sports Science major and member of KAISA is the sole candidate for CHK representative.

Since all candidates are running unopposed, a majority vote is needed for each to win. Assuming the college has achieved 50+1% voter turnout, a special elections will be held to fill the vacant positions.

“If no one else runs, there is a possibility of appointing existing members to other council positions,” said Yupingkun.

All the candidates are running with no direct party affiliation. Since 2006, candidates have run as independents though they have been identified with certain political parties. For example, Michael Gonzales and Mik Fajardo of STAND-UP won as CHK representative consecutively. Yupingkun, a KAISA member, is now running independent as council chairperson.

With reports from Jenin Velasquez