Mandaue Sports Center construction delayed

MORE than a year after the groundbreaking of the new “world-class” Mandaue City Sports Center, the project construction remains stuck in phase one.

Mandaue City Administrator Jamaal James Calipayan said in an interview on Thursday, May 4, 2023, that land leveling was the major cause of delay for the project since the area in the City’s Planned Unit Development-2 (PUD-2) in Barangay Paknaan is low-lying.

He said that it took time for the contractor to elevate the ground so that the area grid can withstand the possible rise of the sea level, which is predicted to affect the area within the next 20 years.

The construction of the sports center began shortly after the groundbreaking ceremony on March 21, 2022.

The 3.4-hectare property is expected to hold various facilities such as a swimming pool, tennis court, basketball court, soccer field and grandstand.

Supposedly, phase one would be completed within six months from the groundbreaking including the track and field oval and courts.

Yet Calipayan said they are still hauling and heaping up the earth as part of site development, as well as improving and developing the elevation.

The project has five phases including phase one, which also involves setting up an embankment and a perimeter fence; phase two, which will be land development; phase 3, which will be the construction of a sports oval and football field; phase four, which will be the construction of the track and field, tennis courts, basketball courts and grandstands; and, phase five, which will be the construction of the swimming pool.

Even though the timeline for the project has changed significantly, Calipayan is still hopeful that the facility, or at least a portion of it, will be operational by 2025 or 2026.

He said the City Government plans to make the center a venue for national and international events, adding that they have yet to decide whether to charge an entrance fee.

The cost of the construction is estimated at around P400 million.

As for the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex in Barangay Centro located three kilometers from the new center, Calipayan said it will continue to be there to serve its current function as the city’s main public sports and activity center.