ANGELES CITY – A village chief here yesterday urged Mayor Francis “Blueboy” Nepomuceno to look for a ‘better alternative’ in the establishment of the P681 million sports complex, slamming the city government’s plan to acquire a loan for the facility in Barangay Pandan.
Salapungan Barangay Captain Robert Yeen said Nepomuceno should have entered into a joint venture with Ayala Land or other giant private firms for the sports facility. He disclosed that the six-hectare lot donated by the Jao family to the city is near the almost completed mall of Ayala in nearby Barangay Pulung Maragul as it will “directly benefit them.”
“The city now owns the lot and a private group could spend for the complex’s construction. They will be partners and share in its income saving the city from the huge debt,” said Yeen, one of the 21 barangay chiefs who signed Resolution 33 asking for the nixing of the project.
Yeen also asked Nepomuceno to enter into a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme with a firm interested in the project. “The city will not spend a single centavo for the facility and after 25 years it will own it through the BOT,” said Yeen.
Are you mayor?
City Administrator Mark Allen Sison responded to Yeen’s suggestion thus: “Mag-mayor muna sila kung ‘yun ang gusto nila (They should be mayor first, if they want to do that).”
Sison said the sports facility will not be done this year or not at all if they will look for firms interested in joint venture agreements or BOT schemes.
“No one wants to. It will not happen if we wait for them,” added Sison. The city administrator said the loan for the facility is payable in ten years with a grace period of two years.
“Why all the fuss when all the concerned government agencies had approved of our loan structure for the project,” he said.
Sison said they had consulted groups for the project, including that assembly in Baguio City last year attended by village chiefs and private groups.
Yeen said he had attended the consultation mentioned by Sison. He disclosed that then City Administrator Ireneo “Bong” Alvaro had discussed the sports facility to them amounting to P200 million.
“We were quite agreeable then because the amount of the project is not too expensive,” said Yeen.
But Sison belied the claims of Yeen, saying they had mentioned the project would cost P600 million.
He added that he had reviewed in the minutes of the meeting that Alvaro indicated that it cost P600 million and not P200. He has yet to furnish a copy of the said minutes of the meeting to this paper.
Salapungan Barangay Captain Robert Yeen said Nepomuceno should have entered into a joint venture with Ayala Land or other giant private firms for the sports facility. He disclosed that the six-hectare lot donated by the Jao family to the city is near the almost completed mall of Ayala in nearby Barangay Pulung Maragul as it will “directly benefit them.”
“The city now owns the lot and a private group could spend for the complex’s construction. They will be partners and share in its income saving the city from the huge debt,” said Yeen, one of the 21 barangay chiefs who signed Resolution 33 asking for the nixing of the project.
Yeen also asked Nepomuceno to enter into a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme with a firm interested in the project. “The city will not spend a single centavo for the facility and after 25 years it will own it through the BOT,” said Yeen.
Are you mayor?
City Administrator Mark Allen Sison responded to Yeen’s suggestion thus: “Mag-mayor muna sila kung ‘yun ang gusto nila (They should be mayor first, if they want to do that).”
Sison said the sports facility will not be done this year or not at all if they will look for firms interested in joint venture agreements or BOT schemes.
“No one wants to. It will not happen if we wait for them,” added Sison. The city administrator said the loan for the facility is payable in ten years with a grace period of two years.
“Why all the fuss when all the concerned government agencies had approved of our loan structure for the project,” he said.
Sison said they had consulted groups for the project, including that assembly in Baguio City last year attended by village chiefs and private groups.
Yeen said he had attended the consultation mentioned by Sison. He disclosed that then City Administrator Ireneo “Bong” Alvaro had discussed the sports facility to them amounting to P200 million.
“We were quite agreeable then because the amount of the project is not too expensive,” said Yeen.
But Sison belied the claims of Yeen, saying they had mentioned the project would cost P600 million.
He added that he had reviewed in the minutes of the meeting that Alvaro indicated that it cost P600 million and not P200. He has yet to furnish a copy of the said minutes of the meeting to this paper.
