P20-M sports center to rise in Cabanatuan

CABANATUAN CITY – A P20-million sports complex, envisioned to become the venue of future regional sportsfests and athletic meets, is set to be constructed early next year at the sprawling Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST)-Sumacab campus here.

The proposed sports complex project is seen to spark a renaissance of interest in various sports disciplines and become the spawning ground of homegrown talents who could later be tapped for future national and international competitions.

Third district Rep. Aurelio Umali said NEUST officials are making available five hectares within the 24-hectare Sumacab Campus to house the sports complex which will be financed through his congressional initiative allocations.

Umali said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is now working overtime to finish the blue-print for the sports complex which is essentially the first serious attempt to establish a long-overdue multipurpose facility and convention center in this city, home to the Nueva Ecija Patriots.

He said the sports complex will house an airconditioned gymnasium, an Olympic-size swimming pool, basketball courts, tennis courts and a baseball field, among others.

The young legislator said the sports complex project is in line with his thrust of harnessing sports talent through grassroots development. He explained that establishing a sports facility of such magnitude achieves several objectives, among them promoting sports consciousness among the youth, boosting the anti-drug campaign and channeling the energies of out-of-school youth (OSYs) to more worthwhile activities.

"As you can see, this involves a three-pronged strategy which is to instill discipline and sportsmanship, step up the campaign against illegal drugs and prevent out-of-school youths from being idle," he said.

The congressman also stressed that the facility will address the perennial problem of how to provide temporary quarters for various delegates. He recalled that delegates of various provinces in the Central Luzon Regional Athletic Association (CLRAA) were forced to use classrooms when a one-stop sports complex would bring them together in one roof.

"The idea is to bring them together in one venue where we can actively promote and cultivate camaraderie and sportsmanship among fellow sportsmen," he said, adding that the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has also committed to donate sports equipment to the sports complex.

The amount of P20 million is considered the biggest single allocation for a sports facility in the city. It is also considered to be the closest the city has come to having a sports complex since the late ex-Mayor Honorato Perez bared plans to build a similar facility in Barangay Pangatian. The plan failed to materialize.