FINAL INSPECTION. Government officials, together with athletes, are shown during the final inspection of the sports facilities at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, Tarlac on Thursday (Nov. 21, 2019). The sports facilities will be used during the country's hosting of the Southeast Asian Games slated from November 30 to December 11, this year. (Photo courtesy of Capas LGU)
CAPAS, Tarlac — To ensure a smooth and well-ordered run of the forthcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, government officials made a final inspection of the sports facilities at the New Clark City Sports Complex here on Thursday.
The country is currently hosting the SEA Games slated from November 30 to December 11, this year.
The inspection team was led by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Secretary Vivencio Dizon, Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs and Projects and concurrent Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and CEO.
Also present were Albay Second District Representative Joey Salceda, Tarlac Governor Susan Yap, San Manuel, Tarlac Mayor Donya Tesoro, Clark Development Corporation president and CEO Noel Manankil, and Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino.
"New Clark City Phase I, especially these facilities for athletes which was built in 18 months, show the President’s resolve for change and this is only the beginning,” Dizon said.
He also assured the athletes participating in the SEA Games of full government support.
“Just focus on your training. The President loves you and we will never stop. In the next few years, you will see other sports facilities,” Dizon said.
During the inspection, the team first visited the Athletes' Village, which will serve as the official residence of the athletes, officials, and international volunteers for the SEA Games.
The facility features 525 rooms, gym amenities, kitchen and dining areas, conference rooms, and other recreational facilities.
The team then proceeded to the 2,000-seater Aquatics Center, which will be the venue for swimming and diving competitions.
The inspection team also went to the seven-story government building, an integrated operations center for government agencies which also features state-of-the-art equipment in disaster risk reduction and management.
For the last stop, the inspection team had a walking tour of the 20,000-seater Athletics Stadium, a world-class Olympics stadium with a nine-lane 400-meter track and field oval, and a six-lane warm-up track.
Meanwhile, Tugade said the DOTr, through the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), has opened applications for special permits of point-to-point buses to travel across the venues of the SEA Games, to assist in the mobility of participants and delegates.
He said that special routes will be opened to accommodate seamless transition between event venues in Subic, Clark, and Metro Manila, which are valid for the whole duration of the SEA Games. (PNA)
