'Star City' has quiet opening a week after girl's death
Barely a week after a 13-year-old girl fell to her death from one of its amusement rides, the "Star City" theme park in Pasay City had a relatively quiet opening on Friday afternoon for its Christmas season run. Unlike in past years when music from the amusement park could be heard around the CCP Complex in Pasay City, there was no loud music or extravagant show to kick off Star City's daily operation. "Starting Sept. 15, open daily Monday to Friday (starting) 4 p.m., Saturday-Sunday (starting) 1 p.m.," read a small sign in front of the parking lot. As of late Friday afternoon, workers did not take away a larger sign that read, "Star City will be open weekends only, (starting) 4 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday-Sunday." The daily operation of the amusement park is geared toward the Christmas holidays, when visitors are expected in greater numbers. GMA-7 television reported Friday night that except for the "Wild River" ride, all amusement rides were cleared for operation by the Pasay City engineer's office in the park's first night of daily operations. It was on the "Wild River" ride that 13-year-old Rachel Suba fell 38 feet to her death last Saturday, when she felt dizzy and tried to stand up as the log boat she was riding was about to fall downward. Suba's parents said they believe the incident should have been reason enough to cause the closure of the entire "Star City" park. Park engineers designed added safety measures for the ride, including wire mesh and a catwalk for dizzy passengers to get on. City hall officials approved the plan, but the added equipment was not immediately installed. -GMANews.TV