Baguio City leaders to limit the use of Athletic Bowl
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| Photo courtesy: impactsocialmedia.net |
The Athletic Bowl has been known to be the venue of
vibrant festivities like the annual Baguio’s Panagbenga celebration to smaller
gatherings like a city’s senior citizens conventions.
On a Monday’s session, City Councilor Faustino Olowan has set forth a motion that would make the Athletic Bowl an exclusive venue for sports only.
"We should stay within the purpose of the area which is
intended to cater to athletes and sport activities and not any other events
which can destroy or damage it," Olowan said.
The city
has geared up a notch higher on its tourism strategy by tapping sports as one
of tourist magnets especially with the proposed refurbishment of the sports
arena. In an attempt to make it a
world class facility, city leaders are working out the possible funding for the
development of Baguio’s Athletic Bowl.
The new and sprawling development has an estimate
cost of P31 million and P14.7 will come from the funds of Representative
Nicasio Aliping Jr.
“This is on top of what the city is planning to
infuse into the Athletic Bowl refurbishment,” Representative Aliping said.
For the meantime, the 14.7 million rehabilitation
is underway after the Department of Public Works and Highways has started the
bidding process for the development project.
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| Photo courtesy: edgarnievera.com |
“We very much wanted to fix the Athletic Bowl so regional, national and even international sporting events could be hosted by the city,” he added.
The planned rehabilitation of Baguio’s Athletic
Bowl promises to be the most significant development in the city’s sports
tourism drive. If rehabilitated under the projected time plan, it will cater
the upcoming sporting events like Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic
Association and Palarong Panlungsod.
“Rest assured that by next year another P20 million
will be made available for the continuation of the rehabilitation of Athletic
Bowl,” Aliping said.
The project provides a capstone to a redevelopment
effort ongoing in the area as it includes the installation of tartan tracks in
the oval, the concreting of canals, and changing of roofing and posts in the
view deck.
Talks are also underway with a US based company in
the utilization of renewable energy of the sun in heating up the swimming pool.
(Romulus Gutierrez III) FOCUS
