LOOK: Marikina Sports Center All Cleaned Up the Morning After Palarong Pambansa

(SPOT.ph) The Palarong Pambansa 2023 ended with a bang on August 5 at the Marikina Sports Center, complete with a concert, fireworks, a drone show mishap, granted, and thousands of spectators—so when pictures of the historic complex came up the next day looking like nothing happened, people were understandably pleased. A post by the Cristopher Frusa shows the complex the morning after: clean, neat, and with structures from the events already dismantled. The pictures have gotten over 500 shares and more than 1,000 reacts and comments commending the quick clean since posting on August 6.

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Marikina Sports Center cleanliness and discipline after Palarong Pambansa

Frusa noted that more than 9,000 people, delegates and spectators combined, had been in the stadium the night before for the closing program. He credited CLAYGO in his caption, with a #Discipline. In another post, Frusa had also taken pictures during the event and after; you can see in the pictures the night of that the area was tidied up immediately after. "Now lang ako nakakita ng ganyan na right after the big event reset sa original ang setup," Frusa tells us. 

In the comments, Frusa credited three factors for the speedy cleanup: discipline, cooperation, and "unsung heroes." These unsung heroes where the sweepers and cleaners not just in the stadium, but those stationed all around Marikina. He had chatted with a sweeper assigned to the stadium, asking why they were cleaning up the floor when it wasn't particularly dirty yet. Their reply: "'Hindi na namin antayin na may kalat na basura bago walisin, sir'. Ibang klaseng mindset 'to," he wrote. 

"Parang walang 2 weeks palaro na nangyari," wrote Frusa of the sports complex. 

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Marikina as benchmark for cleanliness of Palarong Pambansa

In an online exchange with SPOT.ph, Frusa shares that based on his chats with Marikenos, it was really a part of their culture to maintain cleanliness. A delegate of the Schools Division of South Cotabato, he was the Co-Chairperson of the Games Result, Communication and Documentation Committee this year. He has been a part of the national games since 2008, and their first run in Marikina has left a mark. "So far for me, this is the best hosting in terms of cleanliness and orderliness," he tells us.

As part of the committee, they worked from a conference room by the track oval and everytime he went out, there was someone outside keeping things tidy. "Sa isip ko, kakaiba ito." He was so much in awe of their work that he actually wanted to take a picture with them, "kaya lang busy din sila."

"Kaya di ko mapigil mag-post dahil na amaze ako at baka magaya rin ng mga next hosts," says Frusa. "Benchmark nila sa Marikina."

The Palarong Pambansa was held from July 29 to August 5, with representatives from our 17 regions pouring in. Typhoon Falcon was also pouring at around the same time of the games, but despite the rains and warnings from the Marikina River, the event pulled through with NCR claiming the overall championship. 

This speedy recovery is part of Marikina's focus on cleanliness. While they're known for being the Shoe Capital of the Philippines, they've also made their claim on being one of our cleanest cities. In 2021, they were among those awarded by the ASEAN Enivornmentally Sustainable Cities programme with top scores in the three categories: clean air, land, and water.