Leyte eyes near completion of P70-M sports center rehab

PALO, Leyte, March 20  -- The PHP70-million rehabilitation work on the Leyte Sports Development Center (LSDC) after it was badly damaged by Super Typhoon Yolanda, will be completed in June.

“We are very hopeful that repair works would be finished before the city’s fiesta on June 30 since the LSDC would be the venue for dance rituals and competition of the provincial government-sponsored Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival,” Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said Tuesday.

The project, being implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways with funding support from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, covers the repair of roofing, bleachers, track and field, and swimming pool, Petilla said.

The project began late last year.

Aside from being tapped as a site for special events, the complex also houses the Leyte Sports Academy, envisioned to look for sports scholars.

The center was the main venue when the provincial government hosted the national school-based sports event Palarong Pambansa in 2009.

The sports complex also served as the command center after the 2013 killer typhoon by the national government, international non-government organizations led by the United Nations, and military forces from different countries. (RTA/PNA)