The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Jesse C. Ong
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William Ramirez announced recently that they have yet to schedule a meeting with top officials of the City of Manila to tackle the proposed sale of the 82-year-old Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC) and seek the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte.
According to Ramirez, the plan is still up in the air as the government sports agency also has to consult the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the real status of the 10-hectare sports center where the PSC offices and the training facilities and dormitories of the national athletes are located.
“Once the PSC and Manila agree with legal support,
we will seek the approval of the President,” said the PSC chief during a recent Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum in Malate, Manila.
RMSC is owned by Manila, but it is the PSC that manages the facilities inside the sports complex.
“It’s a long process, but we’re already looking at a possible location to build a new sports complex for the athletes,” Ramirez noted.
The new sports training center is projected to rise at the Clark Green City in
Pampanga, where the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has allocated 100 hectares of land for its construction.
Ramirez said the government would fund the construction of roads and the development of facilities as well as the procurement of trains that will travel the Manila-Clark route.
The group of businessman Enrique Razon is discussing the sale of RMSC with Manila and offered to revitalize the sports complex through a preservation and urban renewal project where the historic landmarks within the sports venue will be kept intact.
Included in the plan is the establishment of commercial areas run by smart technologies complete with modern amenities and green open spaces.