SIMPLE ENOUGH was its start.
A landed family wanted to donate a large parcel of choice realty to the City of Angeles.
What local executive worth his people’s vote, if not their trust, would forgo such golden opportunity to employ it in their service and put his name to it?
But for what? A hospital? There’s the Ospital ning Angeles already, notwithstanding its chronic lack of facilities, equipment and medicines. A city college? Why compete with and risk the ire of the Nepomuceno’s Holy Angel University, the Lazatin’s Republic Central Colleges and Attorney-Doctor Manny Angeles’ eponymous university foundation?
The need for the moment – so the Nepomuceno administration deemed – was to steer away the city kids from drugs, get them into sports and win sporting glory for the city. So the idea of a sports complex came a-borning.
All of P620 million, it was announced, was needed for the construction. A ballpark figure really there, given the absence of plans, not even a schematic drawing of the proposed complex.
No less than 21 of the city’s village chiefs led by Balibago’s Tony Mamac and mavericks at the city council of course lost no time in questioning not only the rationale but the very rationality of the sports complex, branding it as one misdirected priority, an emerging white elephant even, as Councilor Willy Rivera put it.
The city could not even pay its garbage dues of P65 million to the Kalangitan landfill in Capas, and it seeks a P620-million loan for a sports complex? So lamented Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting.
Au contraire, the pistol-packing Councilor Agapito del Rosario (un)reasoned, the sports complex would not only serve the youth of Angeles in good stead but would even earn money for the city. Already, Pistol Pitong claimed, the Philippine Basketball Association has expressed commitment to hold its games at the complex, sans plans and all! (PBA coach Yeng Guiao could only shake his shaven pate in disbelief.)
Then, the complexities: the land donation did not push through, the informal settlers at the site used as the convenient scapegoats.
“The mayor does not want any dislocation, so there’s a piece of land of about five to six hectares in Barangay Mining that is being considered for purchase,” the city information office (CIO) said.
So, the idea spawned by a land donation got into a life of its own and sought its own realization, at a higher price now for the city government. Swell, really swell. The original P620 million ballooning to P813 million.
“The sports complex will feature a 3,000 sitting capacity convention center, a 2,000 sitting capacity grandstand and oval and an Olympic size swimming pool. The project will commence during the second half of the year,” a press release from the CIO said
Yeah, good. But how will you get to the site? The principal road to Barangay Mining is through a subdivision from the traffic-choked Pandan Road. The road is best suited for tricycles and padyaksikels. How the thousands of spectators and participants expected to troop to the sports complex, only Pistol Pitong – in his PBA dream – could tell.
Now comes Pampanga 1st District Rep. Carmelo Lazatin seeking a probe of the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) for approving the P620-million loan for the sports complex.
Lazatin’s House Resolution No. 1497 read “despite the lack of some loan requirements such as project appraisal and evaluation required by Sec. 109 of the Local Government Code of the Philippines, site location of the project, feasibility study regarding the appropriateness and financial viability, approval of stakeholders, paying capacity or credibility of the local government unit, among others, the loan application of the local government of Angeles City for the construction of the sports complex was approved.”
The solon cited “lack of stringent measures” on the part of the PVB in approving the P620-million.
Sans spectacular play, Cong Tarzan did a touchdown there.
A landed family wanted to donate a large parcel of choice realty to the City of Angeles.
What local executive worth his people’s vote, if not their trust, would forgo such golden opportunity to employ it in their service and put his name to it?
But for what? A hospital? There’s the Ospital ning Angeles already, notwithstanding its chronic lack of facilities, equipment and medicines. A city college? Why compete with and risk the ire of the Nepomuceno’s Holy Angel University, the Lazatin’s Republic Central Colleges and Attorney-Doctor Manny Angeles’ eponymous university foundation?
The need for the moment – so the Nepomuceno administration deemed – was to steer away the city kids from drugs, get them into sports and win sporting glory for the city. So the idea of a sports complex came a-borning.
All of P620 million, it was announced, was needed for the construction. A ballpark figure really there, given the absence of plans, not even a schematic drawing of the proposed complex.
No less than 21 of the city’s village chiefs led by Balibago’s Tony Mamac and mavericks at the city council of course lost no time in questioning not only the rationale but the very rationality of the sports complex, branding it as one misdirected priority, an emerging white elephant even, as Councilor Willy Rivera put it.
The city could not even pay its garbage dues of P65 million to the Kalangitan landfill in Capas, and it seeks a P620-million loan for a sports complex? So lamented Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting.
Au contraire, the pistol-packing Councilor Agapito del Rosario (un)reasoned, the sports complex would not only serve the youth of Angeles in good stead but would even earn money for the city. Already, Pistol Pitong claimed, the Philippine Basketball Association has expressed commitment to hold its games at the complex, sans plans and all! (PBA coach Yeng Guiao could only shake his shaven pate in disbelief.)
Then, the complexities: the land donation did not push through, the informal settlers at the site used as the convenient scapegoats.
“The mayor does not want any dislocation, so there’s a piece of land of about five to six hectares in Barangay Mining that is being considered for purchase,” the city information office (CIO) said.
So, the idea spawned by a land donation got into a life of its own and sought its own realization, at a higher price now for the city government. Swell, really swell. The original P620 million ballooning to P813 million.
“The sports complex will feature a 3,000 sitting capacity convention center, a 2,000 sitting capacity grandstand and oval and an Olympic size swimming pool. The project will commence during the second half of the year,” a press release from the CIO said
Yeah, good. But how will you get to the site? The principal road to Barangay Mining is through a subdivision from the traffic-choked Pandan Road. The road is best suited for tricycles and padyaksikels. How the thousands of spectators and participants expected to troop to the sports complex, only Pistol Pitong – in his PBA dream – could tell.
Now comes Pampanga 1st District Rep. Carmelo Lazatin seeking a probe of the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) for approving the P620-million loan for the sports complex.
Lazatin’s House Resolution No. 1497 read “despite the lack of some loan requirements such as project appraisal and evaluation required by Sec. 109 of the Local Government Code of the Philippines, site location of the project, feasibility study regarding the appropriateness and financial viability, approval of stakeholders, paying capacity or credibility of the local government unit, among others, the loan application of the local government of Angeles City for the construction of the sports complex was approved.”
The solon cited “lack of stringent measures” on the part of the PVB in approving the P620-million.
Sans spectacular play, Cong Tarzan did a touchdown there.
