AN ANGELES City councilor said the P360-million sports complex that the city government is planning to construct will boost the tourism sector.
Councilor Edgardo "Edu" Pamintuan, Jr. said the new facility will also create new jobs and economic opportunities for the people of Angeles City.
Pamintuan, the official candidate for vice mayor of the Partido Abe Kampampangan (AbeKa) in the upcoming May 2019 elections, said the city needs world-class sports facilities to spur tourism.
“How can we have vibrant tourism if don’t fund the construction of new facilities like a modern sports complex and new city hall?” Pamintuan said.
“We expect that with vibrant tourism will come new livelihood opportunities for Angeleños,” he added.
The young Pamintuan made the statement following the recent groundbreaking ceremonies for the sports complex in Barangay Pampang led by his father, incumbent Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, who is serving his third consecutive term as local chief executive.
“Our vision now is to make Angeles not only a benchmark of good local governance, but the birthplace of future national and international athletes through the establishment of sports facilities and skills development,” the older Pamintuan said.
Located in a 3.7-hectare property within the urban center of the city, the sports complex will have a convention center with a total floor area of 6,965 square meters and a sitting capacity of 2,500.
The younger Pamintuan and his runningmate for mayor, Vice-Mayor Bryan Nepomuceno, vowed to continue the current thrust of the city government to promote and develop sports, tourism and cultural revival in Angeles City.
According to Councilor Pamintuan, one of the priority programs of the Partido Abe Kapampangan (AbeKa) is the city-wide special endowment for the arts through the revival of the Integrated Performing Arts of Angeles City (IPAAC).
“It’s a pity that many young people could not harness their talents in arts due to poverty,” Pamintuan lamented.
“In addition to our academic scholars, we will make sure that we will have arts scholars in the city and give them the opportunity to develop and use their talents in arts to alleviate them from poverty,” Pamintuan explained.
Under the program, free dance, music, and theater trainings will be offered to out-of-school youth and indigent Angeleño students.
Arts scholars will be supported by the city government through enrolment in the City College of Angeles (CCA), and even provide scholarships and educational assistance for those who opt to study in private schools, he said.
The project is expected to complement the mission of the CCA and the city government to promote cultural awareness and artistic excellence among young Angeleños.