MANILA, Philippines - If things go on as planned, the Historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex will soon be up for sale.
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| Historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex will soon be up for sale |
Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia yesterday said there’ve been initial talks between the city government of Manila and the country’s top sports officials, and it looks positive.
“They are in agreement,” said Garcia, referring to Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco.
As head of the government sports agency, which has full control over the RMSC and other government sports facilities, Garcia should also be part of the negotiations once they push through.
“It’s time we get out of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex,” said Garcia before the representatives of the different national sports associations (NSAs) at the RMSC badminton hall.
Garcia fully supports Cojuangco’s idea of relocating the hundreds of national athletes from the RMSC to a new training center they are planning to build inside the former Clark Air Base in Pampanga.
Once built, it will house the national athletes. There are also initial plans of building separate training centers in Tagaytay City and in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.
Sports officials believe that the RMSC, which sits on a prime 10-hectare property along Vito Cruz, is no longer conducive for training, with all the pollution and distractions around it.
At the estimated value of P50,000 per square meter, the sale of the RMSC can generate at least P5 billion.
“Once it is sold, we can share it 50-50 with the city. Then our share will go to the construction of a new training center,” said Garcia during the PSC-initiated general assembly among the NSAs.
“Hopefully this will happen soon,” said Garcia.
The idea to sell the RMSC, which was built in 1934 for the country’s hosting of the Far Eastern Games, was brought up by Cojuangco the moment he became POC president in 2004.
But the sale is easier said than done because it concerns a historic complex, also considered a national treasure. Once serious negotiations begin, the National Historical Institute may step in to the picture.
The RMSC, which was destroyed during World War II and repaired in 1953, has hosted big events like the 1954 Asian Games and the Southeast Asian Games editions in 1981, 1991 and 2005.
During the general assembly, Garcia talked about the PSC plans and programs, and its accomplishments over the past year.
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