Sunday, November 26, 2006 Arroyo asked to allocated P500M for upgrade of Athletic Bowl
THE Baguio City Council has approved a resolution asking President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to allocate P500 million from the funds of the Office of the President for the total rehabilitation of the Baguio Athletic Bowl to transform it into a world-class sports facility.
The body adopted the resolution authored by Councilor Elmer Datuin, who said the city has to have a top caliber sports station to establish it as a sports destination in the north.
"From a small town, Baguio has grown into a first-class, highly urbanized city steadily positioning itself as a prime educational, tourism and sports destination north of Metro Manila. With the current infrastructures being put into place, Baguio is unquestionably the city with the most potential for growth in northern Luzon," the resolution added.
Datuin also noted that Athletic Bowl used to be one of the city's popular attractions for athletes and sports enthusiasts. He said athletes representing the Philippines in international competition used to train at the Athletic Bowl but now, foreign-bound athletes opt to train in China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, the United States and many European countries.
"(This creates) an impression that successful training, especially high-altitude one, is better assured abroad because there is something wrong with Baguio's sports facilities particularly the Athletic Bowl," Datuin noted.
He said the government should continue to promote sports development programs as a means of "attuning the people's needs and meet the challenges of the 21st century that will benefit city residents."
This is apart from harnessing sports as a strategy in deterring drug abuse and delinquency and promoting physical fitness.
"The refurbished Athletic Bowl shall not only be transformed into a major sports facility in northern Luzon but would also generate more revenues for the City Government since it is likely to draw local and foreign tourists to the nation's summer capital," the resolution added. (Aileen Refuerzo)
