MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission are pursuing plans for the construction of a new P3.5-billion sports complex in Clark Field, Pampanga, that can rise in six months.
PSC chair Richie Garcia said Monday that the timetable for the construction of the 50-hectare national training center has already been laid out, with the Olympic body, the government sports agency and the city government of Manila jointly pushing the sale of the decades-old Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.
“The earlier we can get the city of Manila, the PSC and the POC to agree [on the terms], the better for us,” said Garcia. “If we fast-track everything, I think we can complete the construction in six months.”
The 9.3-hectare RMSC is said to have a market value of about P8 billion.
Several real estate developers have expressed interest in the prime property, the PSC said.
Garcia said the POC and the PSC need to fork out P3.5 billion from the sale of RMSC to finance the construction of the sports complex.
The city, headed by Mayor Joseph Estrada, can take care of the rest of the expenses.
Garcia said many facilities inside the new complex will be made of prefabricated materials with the track and field oval expected to be completed in just three months.