City council to review MOU on sports complex

DAVAO City Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte yesterday said the 17th City Council will scrutinize the draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the University of the Philippines (UP) and the city government of Davao on the proposed sports complex in Mintal.

Meanwhile, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte urged the legislative body to expedite the approval of the MOU for “public interest.”

In his Facebook account, the vice mayor said they are not rushing nor delaying the proposal. Instead, he said they are taking things in balance.

“It is our duty to scrutinize the provision of the MOU. We will likewise look into the claim of the families which will be affected,” Duterte said in his social media account.

“We will conduct public consultations and hearings. We know the great benefits of having a sports complex and we too want this, but we yield to the greater demand of our duty to ensure that the provisions of the MOU will not be disadvantageous to the city,” the vice mayor added.

The City Council approved under first reading a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to be entered into by the city government of Davao and UP Mindanao on the intention of both parties to establish a sports complex in the school’s campus in Mintal.

UP and the city government proposed to build the P8-billion sports complex within the 204-hectare land in Mintal.

The MOU states that the sports complex will be named the Davao City-UP Sports Complex.

It is also provided that a technical working group (TWG) composed of representatives from UP and the city will be formed for the preliminary plans and programs necessary to the establishment of the sports complex.

Mayor Duterte, on the other hand, urged the City Council to speed up.

“Government to gov- ernment man na. Reservation man na sa gobyerno. Kanang mga claimants, I do not recognize them. Dugay na na, everybody knows in Davao that it’s government reservation (It’s a government to government project. I do not recognize the claimants in the area. It’s a long time project),” Duterte said in an interview with reporters.

He also pointed out that the sports complex is for public interest, hence he is urging the claimants to relocate.

He said the claimants are given an option to avail of the relocation area in Los Amigos, Tugbok District.

“Kinahanglan na in public interest para sa edukasyon sa mga bata — hawa mo dira. Ako’y mag-una og bungkag dira (The sports complex will be needed for education purposes. It’s public interest. You (claimants) should leave or else I will be the one to demolish the area),” he said.

The vice mayor, on the other hand, said “Makasiguro mo, usbon nako, nga walay langay nga mahitabo Ang ako lang aron walay basol ug mahay.”

“We are confident that the executive will respect the procedure of the legislative to the matters relating to public interest such as this,” he said.

Although the entire project costs some P8 billion, the first phase will require UP to spend P200 million for the first phase.

The city government, on the other hand, will appropriate P100 million as its counterpart.

Aside from the budget issue, the city councilors are also caught in between since many “claimants” will be affected with the construction.

Appearing before the regular session yesterday, Alfredo Logronio, president of Farmer’s association in Bago Oshiro, Tugbok, opposed the plan of relocating them.

The first phase of the project will cost P250 million, consisting of the auditorium (P100 million), indoor gym and multi-purpose building (P50 million), track oval, lightings and outdoor sports (P50 million) and road leading to the sports complex (P50 million). ANC