Former Laguna Lake Development Authority general manager Carlos Lomboc (Screengrab from video)
LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – Now it can be told: this town may soon have its own sports complex.
Former Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) general manager Carlos Lomboc bared to the Philippine News Agency that the late mayor of this town, Caesar Perez, was looking to turn the old municipal hall complex into a sports hub just by the Laguna de Bay coast.
Lomboc said the reclamation of some parts of the lake that will be used to build the planned sports complex is ongoing.
He recalled a conversation with Perez telling him to go for a 10-hectare land.
"Dyan sa expansion ng area ng munisipyo, balak nya gawin talagang centralized yung sports center ng Los Baños. Andoon na yung building (In the expansion of the old municipal hall area, he really intends to turn it into a centralized sports center for Los Baños. The building is there), but what he wants is later on, this becomes the central sports center not just for Los Baños but also for adjacent communities," said Lomboc, a good friend of Perez.
Lomboc said the building was the site of the recent Philippine Military Academy entrance examination.
"Kumpleto siya. Hindi lang dalawa o tatlong CR (comfort rooms) but marami pati yung facilities (It has complete amenities. It does not just have two or three CRs but many as well as the facilities)," he revealed.
Lomboc also said that there are also plans of putting up a convention center to serve not just Laguna but also Rizal, Cavite, and Quezon.
Currently, the said area, just at the back of the old municipal hall, has an outdoor basketball court and a park.
Once fully completed, the proposed sports complex can become a future venue for sports events like the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League or National Basketball League home game and even a Philippine Basketball Association game as well as multi-sport events like the Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy.
The problem now is whether the project will still push through after Perez passed away last Thursday night.
For Lomboc, the future administrations' priorities are not the only concerns about the continuation of the project.
"Malaki kasi ang pera (The budget for this is huge). It's not just the mayor who can do that. Dapat gobyerno (It should be the government). Somebody has to start it," he added. (PNA)
