Gov. Joseph Marañon yesterday said the Negros Occidental provincial government has not given up on its bid to take back and run the Paglaum Sports Complex in Bacolod City, and if worse comes to worst, the plan to file a case against the Department of Education will be carried out.

We will file charges in two months or after the elections if no agreement is reached, he said, reiterating that the DepEd has reneged on the provisions of the provincial government's deed of donation because it has failed to adequately develop and maintain the sports complex.

We are contemplating on going to court so once and for all we can resolve the issue through a friendly legal battle, he said.

The provincial government will present a master plan for the rehabilitation of the Paglaum Sports Complex to the DepEd, Marañon said.

If they have a better alternative than ours then they can continue running the sports complex but if they do not they should study our proposal, he said.

Rep. Carlos Cojuangco (Neg. Occ., 4th district) brought experts from Palafox Associates, an architectural, urban planning and design consultancy firm, to meet with him yesterday on the development of Paglaum, Marañon said.

A Bacolod resident has asked the Negros Occidental Sanggunian to investigate the alleged poor rehabilitation of the Paglaum Sports Complex through Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella during the Southeast Asian Games.

Board Member Emilio Yulo III, chairman of the SP Committee on Education, said he will study if they have jurisdiction over the matter since Puentevella is a national official.

Asked what he thought of the call for an investigation on the work done to the Paglaum Sports Complex during the SEAGames, Cojuangco "If certain quarters would like to investigate certain issues concerning public property and officials, why not?"

"If the public official has nothing to hide, he should show all that is being asked so the issue will be laid to rest," he said.

"It is not fair to blame public officials and the issue does not end. If I were the public official concerned I would rather that the issue be answered right away to so it can be clarified," Cojuangco added.*CPG

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