Where to situate training center?

Now that the government is committed to establish a new P3.5 Billion National Sports Training Center with President Duterte signing into law R. A. 11214, the big question is where to situate the hub.

PSC chairman Butch Ramirez said a planning committee will be created to set a timetable for the construction of the center. Will the location be decided before a design is made or will the design determine the location? The committee will lay out the specifics of the center, what facilities to build, dormitory space, services to offer, oval, track, timing systems, stadiums for competition, auditoriums for viewing sessions, meeting rooms and equipment for each sport.

As soon as the law was passed, two congressmen who are leading sports figures quickly came out to call attention to their hometowns as a possible site for the center. Abono party list Rep. Conrad Estrella III said Rosales in Pangasinan has the capacity to host the hub, earmarking over 20 hectares for the project. In September 2017, Estrella presided in a first-ever sports summit in the province with Ramirez attending the Rosales assembly. As early as then, Estrella spoke about the possibility of Pangasinan hosting a national training center.

Estrella is now serving in his seventh Congress and not coincidentally, is the House Chairman on Youth and Sports Development. His late grandfather Tata Condring Estrella was a former mayor, governor, congressman and minister of Agrarian Reform. Tata Condring was an FEU basketball player who loved sports and used to often watch PBA, UAAP and NCAA games in the stadium. He passed away in 2011 at the age of 93. His grandson Conrad shares the same passion for sports.

Pangasinan has bred a long list of sports heroes, including Sen. Ambrosio Padilla who played on the Philippine team that took fifth place when basketball was introduced in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Marlou Aquino, Danny Ildefonso, Marc Pingris, C. J. Perez, Jacinto Sicam, Rodolfo Tan Cardoso, Ana Julaton and Jesus Garcia. It’s a province with a rich sports history.

Rep. Bambol Tolentino of the seventh district of Cavite happens to be the POC chairman and he, too, has pitched for his hometown Tagaytay to host the center. He said a world-class BMX track is now under construction and can be tied up to the other facilities of a wide-ranging training hub.

“The ideal place as of today for the training center is Tagaytay or Metro Tagaytay,” said Tolentino. “First, high altitude and fresh air are so important in an athlete’s training. Second, it’s accessible to Metro Manila with new bypasses and highways being laid out. Third, there is an existing infrastructure in place. There are one to five-star hotels and restaurants that can cater to foreign athletes in case there will be visitors or international competitions. Fourth, there are still available flat lands with a minimum of 20 hectares compared to Baguio. Even if it’s a little bit pricey, it’s still an investment because after three years, I expect the land values to more than double.”

Another site to consider is the New Clark City straddling Capas, Tarlac and Angeles City, Pampanga. The coming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games will hold 20 sports in Clark, including the mandatory aquatics and athletics, obstacle course, shooting, archery, baseball, softball, golf, judo, arnis, wrestling and lawn bowls. There is considerable expense in preparing the grounds for the SEA Games and the budget for the training center will surely be reduced if the decision is to situate it in Clark.

Baguio looks like a far-off option with the city mired in congestion. The proposed training center was conceived precisely to take over what was offered to athletes at Teachers Camp in Baguio, the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and the PhilSports Arena.

To decide the ideal location, five conditions must be considered. First, accessibility to airports and national roadways for media, visiting athletes and officials and supervising government officials. Second, healthy climate conditions with fresh air and fair weather outside of typhoon strike zones. Third, no nearby distractions so athletes are able to focus on their training, nothing else. Fourth, local government support as it’s critical for town officials to provide an atmosphere conducive to concentrated training. And fifth, available land to cover the layout of a world-class training center. Whatever the decision is, let’s hope it won’t be because of politics or an influential lobbyist. This is the country’s golden chance to put up a national training center that will withstand the test of time. Let’s not waste the opportunity.