The refurbishment of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC) is entering its final stretch with barely a couple of weeks left before it hosts the Philippine Women’s Open on 26 January.

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio said the rehabilitation and beautification of the 92-year-old facility is in full swing, making it fit and ready to host one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious professional women’s tennis events, where Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala is expected to see action.

“We are on track. We’re targeting everything to be finished before the 26th,” said Gregorio, a giant in the tourism industry and seasoned sports executive before being appointed as PSC chief last year.

“I can say that we’re about 70 percent. The chairs have been delivered and are now being installed, the lights will be here in the next two weeks, the repainting is being done and the landscapers are working double time to finish it. It’s going to be beautiful. The effect that I want fans to see is that: Wow, is this the Rizal Memorial? We want to bring back the beauty, the grandeur of this facility.”

Acting upon the mandate of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to boost the country’s sports tourism program, Gregorio hit the ground running and hosted a score of major international events in his first six months in office.

With Gregorio at the helm, the country was able to host the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship in September as well as the FIG Junior Artistic Gymnastics World Championships and the FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup in November.

This year, a lot of international events are in the pipeline, starting with the Philippine Open that will feature Eala and 31 of the brightest players in professional tennis.

Gregorio added that workers and frontliners of the PSC and the Philippine Lawn Tennis Association (Philta) didn’t take any holiday break just to finish the job. In fact, even the City of Manila and the Department of Public Works and Highways are also helping, making sure that the facade and areas around the historic RMSC will also be ready when the world’s best tennis players compete.

“We didn’t have holiday break. No Christmas, no New Year vacation for PSC and Philta. We really rushed the development rehabilitation of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and the tennis courts,” he said.

“When I say complex, when you host an international event, it is important to note the look and feel of the facility. We can’t have a good tennis court but a lot of eyesores outside so the City of Manila, the DPWH, everybody is helping. They will repaint the islands, plant some trees and improve the lighting by installing around 200 solar lamps.”

Gregorio aded that hosting an international event is a perfect opportunity to refurbish the RMSC, which was established when the country hosted the Far Eastern Games in 1934.

“The reason for all these sports tourism initiatives is it gives us the opportunity to upgrade and rehabilitate our facilities. The RMSC has been here since the 1930s, these rehabilitation is our way of respecting our national hero. It ha to be done. And we’re doing it now,” Gregorio said, adding that they will make sure that their hosting of the Philippine Open will be a massive success.