NEGROS Occidental Provincial engineer Ernie Mapa said Thursday, August 24, the installation of the multi-million floodlights system at Panaad Stadium is needed to meet the standards of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (Fifa).
He added that of the P50-million budget, P40 million will be used for the acquisition of the new floodlights while the remaining P10 million budget will be utilized for the removal, transfer, and installation of the existing floodlights from Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City to the Sagay City Football field.
Mapa said that Fifa standard requires 1,300 to 1,400 lumens of lighting.
He added that Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. wants to maintain Panaad’s hosting of international football competitions and be known as one of the venues of Fifa matches.
The projects will undergo a bidding process, Mapa said.
The existing floodlights at Panaad Stadium came from Paglaum Sports Complex also in Bacolod.
These have only 600 to 700 lumens, way below the international standards, Mapa said.
The floodlights budget is included in the supplemental budgets approved by the Provincial Board Wednesday.