Education Undersecretary Ramon Bacani held meetings in Bacolod City yesterday to ensure the proper management of the Paglaum Sports Complex that had been improved for the holding of the Southeast Asian Games late last year, to prevent its deterioration again.

Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella yesterday said about P30 million, P12 million of which went to lighting needs, had been spent on the improvement of the sports complex before the SEA Games.

The Negros Occidental provincial government had donated the sports complex adjacent to the Negros Occidental High School to the Department of Education, but Bacani said that, because of DepEd limitations, they are looking for ways to properly operate and maintain the sports stadium.

"We just want to make sure that the sports complex has a longer useful life and will not be neglected like what happened before", Bacani said.

We are looking at the creation of a management board under the DepEd, which will include all the stakeholders as well as those who can make a contribution to the operation and maintenance of the sports complex, Bacani said.

We are working at determining the composition of the management board, he also said, adding that they would like to have it in place as soon as possible.

NOHS principal Nilda Monge said the NOHS alumni and other stakeholders are opposed to changing the name of the Paglaum Sports Complex to the Bacolod City Sports and Cultural Complex as proposed by Puentevella, stressing that the old name already has historical significance as stated in a joint resolution she furnished the DAILY STAR.

The resolution of the NOHS administration, NOHS Alumni Association Inc., PTA and Supreme Student Government said the management board of the Paglaum Sports Complex should be composed only by representatives of government offices or groups that have original stakes and vital interest in the welfare of DepEd/NOHS and the sports program of the province.

Cirilo Sarcepuedes, alumni president, said the various NOHS stakeholders met Saturday to come up with their collective position.

Monge said the NOHS stakeholders proposed that that the sports complex management board should be composed of a representative of the Department of Education, NOHS administration, the office of the Bacolod congressman, the office of the Negros Occidental governor, and the NOHS Alumni Association Inc.

Puentevella earlier proposed that the management committee be composed of representatives the Bacolod SEA Games Organizing Committee, a private sports foundation, the congressman's office, Bacolod mayor' office the NOHS alumni and the DepEd, Monge claimed.

BASOC OPPOSED

The resolution she furnished the DAILY STAR said the "proposed inclusion of BASOC and of the Negros Occidental Cultural and Sports Foundation is vehemently objected on the grounds that BASOC no longer has juridical personality after the SEA Games and that NOCSF is a private institution and has no stake whatsoever in the Paglaum Sports Complex."

The proposal to include a representative of the Office of the Mayor of Bacolod is likewise objected to because the city has also no stake, original or otherwise in the Pagalaum Sports Complex, the resolution said.

Monge said they have no objection to the inclusion of a representative from the office of the congressman because they are grateful to Puentevella for the improvements made to the Pagalaum Sports Complex during the SEA Games.

Monge stressed that they remain apolitical and were making these suggestions for the good of NOHS and the sports complex.

'BUT IT WAS NOT INCLUDED'

Puentevella said he did not propose that BASOC be included in the management board contrary to the statement of Monge.

He said he proposed that the board be composed of the NOHS principal representing the DepEd, a representative of the office of the congressman, a representative of the office of the mayor and NOCSF.

He said he included the office of the mayor so security and assistance in the removal of squatters from the sports complex could be provided.

If NOHS wants to take over the management then they should be the ones to find the funding for water, lighting, and other maintenance needs of the sports complex, he said.

Puentevella pointed out that P30 million had been spent for the improvement of the sports complex and unless properly secured the improvements place there will be stolen.

He noted that before improvements were made for the SEA Games, the sports complex had been in a state of neglect.

We want to make sure that improvements made to the sports complex are maintained otherwise we will have wasted the people's money, he said.

GUV'S STAND

Bacani also met with Gov. Joseph Maranon yesterday to discuss the management board for the sports complex.

Marañon said he told Bacani he had no objection to the creation of a management board for the sports complex as long as the conditions set for the donation of the property by the provincial government is followed.

Among the conditions is for the sports complex to remain under the control of the Dep ED that will ensure its improvement, which in the past it had already violated, he said.

The provincial government already donated the Paglaum Sports Complex to the DepEd and is not interested in being part of its management board because it already has the Panaad Sports Stadium to support, he said.

If the conditions are violated we will remind them and if they do not comply we will institute recovery of the property, he said.

Meanwhile, Marañon said he has written to Puentevella to seek his help in seeking financial aid to pay for the electric bills of the Panaad Sports Complex amounting to about P400,000 during the SEA Games.*CPG

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