Tuesday, November 28, 2006 Mandaue closes sports complex for Asean meet
THE Mandaue City Sports Complex is closed for 20 days, starting last Saturday until Dec. 14, as it will be used for Asean summit-related activities.
Cheryl Ouano, daughter-in-law and executive secretary of Mayor Thadeo Ouano, said the national organizing committee (NOC) will convert the City-owned facility into a “one-stop shop” for the registration and accreditation of foreign delegates for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit, as well as for the international press that will be covering the event.
The NOC started setting up their equipment inside the sports complex last Saturday.
Cheryl said the City Government is repainting the complex and fixing its comfort rooms.
But unlike last year when the City Government spent around P700,000 just to repair the complex in time for the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, the City is not spending much this time.
Cheryl said they are just using the paints that the private sector had donated for summit-related beautification efforts.
She said that with its closure, the City stands to lose at least P10,000 in daily rentals for the complex or a total of P200,000 for 20 days.
Another additional expense for the City will be the payment for electricity consumption covering Nov. 25 to Dec. 14.
The City charges P10,000 for a whole-day use of the facility, P4,000 per hour for the use of the aircon and P12,000 for the use of the sound system for an entire day.
Cheryl said the City is not charging the NOC for the use of the complex. Instead, it is being considered as the City’s counterpart for the summit.
As for the police recruits from other regions who are temporarily staying inside the compound of the complex, Cheryl said they will not be affected by this arrangement.
The NOC is occupying the complex itself while the police recruits are staying in the offices within the complex building.
Over 200 rookie policemen from Region 7, 8 and 11 who are undergoing field training are deployed in Mandaue City to serve as security augmentation force for the summit.
Some of them are housed in the social hall of the San Roque Parish in Barangay Subangdaku, while the others are housed in the different offices within the sports complex building. (ROV)
