MANILA, Philippines - Inspired by the huge success of the MOA Arena, which has hosted 100 events, mostly sports-related, and hit the one million patron mark just one year after its inauguration, officials of the SM Group of Companies yesterday announced that plans are now on-going for the construction of the same sporting venue in Cebu.
“The owners are planning to put up another MOA Arena right in the heart of the Visayas in Cebu in a couple of years,†said Arnel Gonzales, business unit head of Mall of Asia Arena, in yesterday’s media briefing at the arena’s Premier Cafe that coincided with the venue’s first year anniversary.
“We want to bring the success of the MOA Arena also to our countrymen in the south, particularly in Cebu,†said Nicole Mariz Deato, marketing and sponsorship head of the MOA Arena and SM Tickets.
As a sporting venue, the MOA Arena has been the home of some of the popular leagues in the country, including UAAP basketball and women’s volleyball, NCAA basketball, the Shakey’s V-League, PBA and some badminton and mixed martial arts events.
The MOA Arena will also play host to the ONE Fighting Championship: Rise to Power on May 31, the opening and most of the games in the UAAP and NCAA this year, the FIBA-Asia Championship from Aug. 1-11.
Highlighting this year’s staging of the various sporting events is the NBA pre-season game between the Indiana Pacers and the Houston Rockets on Oct. 10, the first-ever to be held in the country.
If plans don’t miscarry, Cebu will get a firsthand experience of seeing some big local and international events in the next few years.