MANILA, Philippines — Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid underscored the government’s responsibility in ensuring that different sports facilities, including those used in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, would not go to waste.
Under Senate Bill No. 1246, filed by Lapid, the government shall institutionalize the creation of sustainability plans for all future and existing government-funded sports facilities, venues and other sports-related infrastructure.
“Dapat natin siguruhin na hindi masasayang ang pera ng bayan na inilaan natin para itayo at ayusin ang mga pasilidad na ito para sa ating mga sports competitions, at lalung-lalo na para sa ating mga atleta,” Lapid, who chairs the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement, said in a statement.
(We should ensure that the public’s money used to construct and rehabilitate facilities for sports competitions and our athletes would not be put to waste.)
The bill covers all government-funded sports facilities, venues and other sports-related infrastructure which includes stadiums, coliseums, arenas, sports centers/complexes, running tracks, courts, swimming pools, convention centers, media centers, and athletes’ villages, among others.
The senator filed the bill following the country’s hosting of the Sea Games.
He said that the sports facilities should not end up as “white elephants”, or “big-budget infrastructure projects that turned out to be sparingly used or of no use at all.
White elephant projects, Lapid said, have “maintenance costs eating up more than whatever income they generate.”
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) earlier donated P842.5 million to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to refurbish facilities used in Sea Games such as Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, the Multi-Purpose Arena at the Philsports Complex and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.