(Eagle News) — Despite opposition from heritage advocates, the Manila City government is pushing through with the “conversion and redevelopment” of the pre-war Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, saying “everything (was) old already.”
“Oo, sigurado ‘yun,” Mayor Joseph Estrada said when asked if plans to that effect would push through.
According to Estrada,the conversion of RMSC–which is owned by the government— is part of his administration’s urban development program.
“E, wala nang gumagamit. Wala nang kinikita. Luma na lahat. Paano pa mapapakinabangan ng city? Wala na, antiquated na ang Rizal (Memorial Sports Complex,” he stressed.
He noted that the structure “will just be developed into a sports, recreational and business center under a joint venture agreement.”
This would ensure, he said, that it “will earn income for the city government and provide needed funds for socio-development projects for the poor and underprivileged.”
“The Rizal Memorial stadium is still owned and will remain to be a property of the government. We will not sell it,” he said.
He noted that the 8.4-hectare land on which the RMSC stands is also owned by the city government, while the Philippine Sports Commission has usufruct rights over it.
The PSC, he said, needs “a new, world class sports center complete with athlete villages and modern training facilities similar to the one being envisioned on a 100-hectare property in Clark, Pampanga that will be provided by the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA). ”
The RMSC was built in 1934.
It survived World War II and was home to several international sports events, including the 1954 Asian Games; the Southeast Asian Games in 1981,1991, and 2005; and the Far Eastern Games.
