Davao City would be the next sports and tourism destination in the country, now that the P8-billion Davao City-University of the Philippines Sports Complex in Bago Oshiro in Tugbok District is nearing completion.
“We move closer to the attainment of our vision of transforming Davao City into a premier sports-tourism destination,” Mayor Inday Sara Duterte said.
Mayor Inday recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the University of the Philippines for the operation and management of the Davao City-UP Sports Complex.
The MOA is a follow up to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the city and UP to collaborate in the development and construction of the Sports Complex, which is located on a 20-hectare portion of the approved UP Mindanao Land Use Plan.
She said the city intends to “use the sports complex for the Davao Region Athletic Association (DAVRAA) Meet as a practice (area) for the 2019 Palarong Pambansa and other sports events in the future.”
The mayor said she expected more Dabawenyos to succeed in their respective fields in sports, especially now that they already have a facility where they can train.
“It has always been the dream of Dabawenyos to have a large sports facility in the City. We cannot underscore often enough how important it is for Davao City to have its own government-owned sports complex, not only to allow us to host major sporting events, but also to provide Dabawenyos a facility to train for various sports disciplines,” she said.
City Sports Development Division head Michael Denton Aportadera said that while the Sports Complex is being readied for the DAVRAA and Palarong Pambansa, it is also being eyed as a venue for the South East Asian Games (SEA Games) that will be held in the city this year.
During the MOA signing, Assistant City Administrator for Operations and lawyer Lawrence Bantiding said it has always been the desire of the city government to establish a major sports facility to serve as a venue to showcase the social, cultural, indigenous heritage and identity of the people of Mindanao through sports development.
At the same time, UP aims to provide opportunities for training, learning, and leadership, of responsible citizenship, and the development of democratic values, institutions, and academic and non-academic programs, including sports. CIO
