City to save P7M on track oval repair

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Government is set to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for the importation of an Olympic-standard and International Association of Athletic Federations-certified Rekortan M99 rubberized track oval system to be installed at the Cebu City Sports Center.

By partnering with the PSC, the city expects to save about P7 million in importation cost deemed to be incurred when importation starts on the rubber material that will be ordered from Europe, United States, Hongkong and Malaysia.

If PSC will undertake the importation, the commission will be exempted from paying the importation tax.

The city apparently has not included the P7 million budget for importation cost in the over all cost of rehabilitation of the oval.

Once the materials arrive, the PSC shall turn over the materials to the City Government at no cost.

The City Government binds itself to use the items directly and exclusively for sports development and not to be resold or transferred from the intended purpose.

In exchange for the PSC’s assistance, the City Government will grant free use of the Cebu City Sports Center track oval in any regional, national or international sports event.

The rehabilitation of the track oval will cost over P27 million while the restoration of the asphalt pavement, which will serve as the base, will cost P17 million if necessary.

The City Government has awarded the contract to Sierra Universal Corporation last month.

The importation period will take about two months before the actual works begin. A week before the actual work, the City shall start with the civil works which will also be the time the center will be temporarily closed for renovation. (FREEMAN)