Friday, July 20, 2007 P45 million for facelift By Marian C. Baring Sun.Star Staff Reporter
WHY not the whole facility?
After announcing its plan to rehabilitate the rubberized tracks of the Cebu City Sports Center, Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) yesterday decided to overhaul the entire center instead.
From P18 million, the estimated budget for the repair soared to P45 million.
In yesterday’s weekly meeting of the CCSC, sports center manager Ricky Ballesteros presented the P18 million quotation from contractors for the track repairs, when CCSC collectively had a eureka moment to just repair everything.
“Repairing everything is the most feasible direction,” Jakosalem said.
The CCSC resolution to request the president to fund the sports center rehab and upgrading was moved by councilor Joey Daluz of the council’s budget and finance committee.
“The sports commission can’t afford it because of the overhead cost. They break even every month. The city does not have the budget and so our recourse will be to ask the president for the funds,” said Jakosalem.
“Asking the president is a long shot. But it is worth a try—30,000 people use the sports center monthly. The Rizal stadium in Manila does not even come close to that. Its 10-year lifespan has long passed,” Jakosalem added.
Apart from the daily bustle brought about by the fitness buffs who jog daily and the athletes who train regularly, the center also serves as the favorite hub for huge events like multi-sporting event, the international boxing event earlier this year, Sinulog and concerts, causing a more rapid deterioration of the country’s most-used sports facility.
Jakosalem added that aside from the track oval, the other possible facelifts will be done in the badminton and basketball courts, the gymnastics areas—where parquet floors could possibly placed—the dormitories, the bleachers and the field.
Success
“Also, with the success of the last WBO boxing event, we will be bidding for the next world cup in boxing. That is why there is a need to repair, upgrade and increase the stadium capacity and add a dismountable bleachers around the track. At least it will end up as an ideal venue for track and field, soccer, concert and other multipurpose events or major national and international events,” Jakosalem said.
Jakosalem tasked Ballesteros to make a budget proposal and breakdown of the estimated specifics so that Jakosalem can present it to Arroyo on Monday, when he goes to Manila to attend the state of the nation address.
Jakosalem added that if the president will approve this, the money will go to the city and will go through the usual processes like the bidding for the contractors.
