The construction of new sports facilities will be on top of the Philippine Sports Commission’s (PSC) agenda as it faces the challenges of the coming year.

PSC chairman Richard “Dickie” Bachmann said they will turn their focus on giving the athletes sufficient training and competition venues in cooperation with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

So far, the PSC had already rolled out the construction of a multi-purpose building inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC). The seven-story establishment will have boxing and pencak silat gyms on the top floors as well as athletes dormitory in the first four floors.

The dormitory will have 28 rooms that can accommodate around 120 members of the national and training teams.

“Some of the budget for this year will go to construction of sports facilities,” Bachmann said.

“We already tore down the boxing and pencak silat gym inside Rizal Memorial after we received funding from Sen. Pia (Cayetano). We partnered with DPWH to expedite the process because our procurement has so many things to do.”

“We partnered with DPWH while we had somebody from our Engineering Department monitor the project. We already broke ground for the boxing and pencak silat gym.”

The PSC chief said so far so good as far as the actual construction of the multi-purpose building is concerned.

“The foundation’s already finished. We’re now in the next process, which is to build already.”

Aside from the multi-purpose gym at RMSC, the PSC will also be refurbishing the dormitories inside the Philsports compound in Pasig City. 

Then by next year, the government sports agency will construct a 12-story bowling facility that will serve as a pet project of sports commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo, a three-time gold medalist of the World Bowling Championship.

“(Refurbishing of) dormitories in Philsports will be actually starting before the end of the year. We’re fixing all the dormitories and then we have next year as well, the bowling alley,” Bachmann said.

“I did promise Ma’m Bong Coo her own facility. So, that will be a 12-story facility which will have its own indoor parking.”