RMSC, PHILSPORTS HANDA NA SA SEAG – RAMIREZ

TAPOS na ang rehabilitasyon ng mga pasilidad na pag-aari at pinatatakbo ng Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) at maaari nang gamitin para sa 30th Southeast Asian Games na magsisimula sa Nobyembre 30.

Ayon kay PSC Chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez, ang competition form ng  Rizal Basketball Coliseum, ang Ninoy Aquino Stadium, ang Rizal Football Field,  ang RMSC lawn tennis court at ang mga pasilidad sa Philsports sa Pasig City ay kumpleto na.

“We were on target,” wika ni Ramirez. “We gave the people an assurance that we will finish the competition areas on top and our various teams in the PSC did their jobs well. They delivered.”

Nilinaw rin ni Ramirez na ang squash competition ay karaniwang isinasagawa sa Manila Polo Club.

Aniya, ang mga pasilidad na ito ay hindi orihinal na nakalaan para sa SEA Games hosting.

Nais ng Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) na idaos ang lahat ng disciplines sa Subic at Clark complexes, kabilang ang newly-built New Clark City, na pag-aari at pinamamahalaan ng Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

“But several of their facilities were not up to IF (International Federation) standards. And since the PSC-owned facilities have been used for international events may times in the past and have met the IF requirements, it was a no-brainer that some of the SEA Games events are hosted by our venues,” paliwanag ni Ramirez.

“These are very old venues, we admit. But the history that wraps every leaves and grass around these facilities speak of the heroism of our athletes. We deemed it right to put the venues back in their original forms,”  dagdag ni Ramirez.

Bagama’t  ang Phisgoc ang nangangasiwa sa pagpapatakbo sa buong SEA Games affair, tiniyak ni Ramirez na ang training ng Filipino athletes na sasabak sa  biennial meet ay napagkalooban ng sapat na pondo.

“We have spent more than a billion pesos for the athletes’ training alone. We are not looking just at the SEA Games, we are also funding their training for possible Olympic slots, in Tokyo and beyond.”

Para sa rehabilitasyon ng iba’t ibang PSC-owned facilities, pinasalamatan ni  Ramirez ang Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) sa pagkakaloob nito ng P800-million aid.