ASIDE from ongoing construction activities inside New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, there are no plans to build more venues that will be used for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Philippine Sports Commission chairman William “Butch” Ramirez said there other available venues that can be used for events in the biennial meet.
“We’re just building two or three facilities, and then discover and identify facilities in Clark (Field) and in Subic,” said Ramirez.
Ramirez was with presidential adviser on sports Dennis Uy when he visited the groundbreaking ceremony at NCC the other day.
He said it was the initial plan of the SEA Games 2019 Organizing Committee to have most of the events in Capas, Tarlac.
But, doing so will prove costly for the government.
The events of the Games will be spread out to the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, aside from venues inside Clark Field in Pampanga and inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
Work on track oval and an Olympic-sized pool, that will be located inside the Aquatics and Athletics Center, only started last Tuesday.
And that’s after heavy equipment began moving soil off the ground that will be used during the Games for swimming and athletics.
Foreign Affairs secretary and Organizing Committee chairman Allan Peter Cayetano made assurances that facilities will ready for use in 18 months.
The swimming pool and oval will be part of the P13.6-billion Phase 1A of the New Clark City.
The athletics stadium will have a seating capacity of 20,000 while the aquatics center can accommodate 2000.
The facilities are expected to be utilized around October 2019, two months before the Games get going in December.