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Friday, March 29, 2024

All SEA Games facilities will be privatized–BCDA

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All the facilities that will be used in the 30th Southeast Asian Games will be privatized once the Games are over this December.

All SEA Games facilities  will be privatized–BCDA
Sports Committee chairman Lawrence “Bong” Go presides over the organizational meeting of the Southeast Asian Games that was held at the Philippine Senate yesterday. Participating in discussions are, from left: POC President Bambol Tolentino and PSC Chairman William Ramirez. Lino Santos

Bases Conversion Development Authority president and chief executive officer Vince Dizon said this during an organizational meeting of the Southeast Asian Games that was held at the Philippine Senate yesterday.

“The BCDA will privatize the operations and maintenance of the sports facilities inside New Clark City, specifically the stadium, the aquatics center and the athletes’ village. And this is what we will do with the Asian Development Bank,” said Dizon.

Dizon said this in reply to an inquiry made by Senator Imee Marcos-Manotoc during a hearing that was presided over by Sports Committee chairman, Lawrence “Bong” Go.

The BCDA chief explained that finding commercial uses for the facilities will help offset the cost incurred by BCDA in funding the construction of the NCC.

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Marcos-Manotoc explained that many facilities used in sports events all over the world have become white elephants.

“This is what we must avoid at all cost,” said Manotoc in the hearing that was also attended by Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino and Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee chairman Ramon Suzara.

Dizon explained that they have put in place their plans for commercialization following visits and research on the facilities used in Olympic Games.

Dizon said the facilities used in London and Sydney became their model since these were utilized for other activities after the Olympiad was done in these places.

On the other hand, there was not much use for the facilities in Athens and Rio de Janeiro after the Olympics because plans for further use after the Games were not put in place.

The NCC facilities were built with the ADB acting the BCDA’s financial advisers.

Meanwhile, Suzara said facilities for the Games are 90 percent completed.

“We are now preparing the facilities for our national athletes to use in advance. Hopefully, we can give priority to our national athletes by October,” said Suzara.

The BCDA had earlier given the contractors tasked to get the many venues up and ready before the first week of September.

This will make all the venues ready three months before the multi-sport event is held from November 30 to December 11.

There are a total of 530 events across 56 sports that are calendared.

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