BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The Provincial Sports Officeof Negros Occidental plans to convert the controversial animal hub at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Barangay Mansilingan here to an athletes’ quarters.
Anthony Carlo Agustin, provincial sports consultant, revealed this during the recent budget deliberations of the Sanggunian Panlalawigan.
He proposed a P30-million budget for the facility’s conversion in 2021.
Under the proposal, the completion of the two-storey building will include sleeping quarters for athletes and a function hall for meetings.
The proposal is also part of the ongoing renovation at the park’s sports facilities.
The P4-million animal hub, originally intended to house animal pens with rails, a drainage system, auctioneer’s bleachers, and an administration building.
The construction of the building became controversial after it was discovered that the project had not gone through a bidding process.
The structure was already between 80 to 90 percent complete when the provincial government ordered it stopped and an investigation conducted.
In October 2018 Eva Resoor, contractor of the project, was suspended by the provincial government from participating in any provincial government projects for six months to one year.
Resoor admitted that she was responsible for the building’s construction and that she will donate the facility to the province.
In August last year, she formally donated the facility to the capitol./PN
