Cebu will have an ice skating rink again?

When SM City Cebu opened its doors in November 1993, I was 3 years old back then and I remember that it had an ice skating rink. I just don’t know the reason why it was removed a few years later. I guess the Cebu market wasn’t ready for that kind of facility yet, at that time, as perhaps it was still adjusting to the entrance of the malling culture into Cebu’s laid back lifestyle. But now, the Cebu market is definitely more than ready to host these types of facilities again! (theme parks please!)

SM Mall of Asia’s Olympic-sized Ice Skating Rink

Anyway, the ice skating rink that used to be at SM City Cebu is now at SM Southmall in Las Piñas.

Now, here’s a scoop. A friend of mine, based in Manila, who works in the retail industry informed me that Cebu will have an ice skating rink again, soon, at the soon-to-be-construction SM SRP (a.k.a. SM Mall of Asia – Cebu Branch). He says that the ice skating rink from SM Megamall will be shipped to the new mall! (Another friend of mine who belongs to the Chinese community of Cebu reaffirmed what my first source has revealed)

If you can recall, SM closed down the Megamall Ice Skating Rink last August 31, 2009. For what reasons? We don’t know. But I guess it can be accounted to the fact that even if the ice skating rink at the Mall of Asia went into operations last 2006, the ice skating rink at the Megamall continued to perform very well.

The SM Megamall Ice Skating Rink has a sentimental value for thousands, if not millions of Filipinos because it is the country’s first Ice Skating Rink! The ice skating rink, opened on 1991, was unique as it had a huge post in the middle. Being the first ice skating rink in the country, it has produced a lot of promising skaters. A lot of memorable family experiences happened there. The ice skating rink was also home to a lot of hockey teams and figure skaters.

A lot of people simply cannot believe the closure of the SM Megamall Ice Skating Rink. Some people even reacted violently to the unfortunate event.

If indeed SM Megamall’s Ice Skating Rink will be transferred to Cebu’s new SM mall soon, Cebuanos should really be thankful as the country’s first ice skating rink finds a new home in Cebu!