MEGADOME PROJECT: Do you want it in Cebu or Mandaue?

[flik]

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'Megadome not needed'
Cebu has other venues to host Asean meet, says tourism exec
Published: 8 January 2006

by Regina Aguilar and Dale G. Israel

CAN Cebu host this year's 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in December without the P250-million Cebu International Convention Center?

For Patrick Gregorio, chairman of the Cebu Visitors and Convention Bureau, the answer is "yes."

"We can actually host the Asean Summit even without the megadome," Gregorio told Cebu Daily News in a telephone interview. "But the summit could be the perfect time to showcase a new landmark such as the megadome."

The province, which has been given the opportunity to host the 17-nation summit, is facing bleak prospects of getting the CICC finished on time to serve as a venue for the meet.

During her visit to Cebu on Friday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo turned down the provincial government's request to relax audit rules to hasten the bidding process for the convention center.

Fortunately, Cebu has several alternative venues to choose from in case the CICC fails to materialize, Gregorio said.

One is the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino in barangay Lahug, which Gregorio dubbed as "the convention hotel in the province of Cebu."

"The Asean Summit does not really require a big venue as long as the place offers world-class amenities and facilities; it will do," he said.

Aside from Waterfront, Gregorio also noted the capability of Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort and Marco Polo Plaza Cebu to serve as venues for the convention.

"Cebu's major hotels are really nice and equipped to hold big international events. That's why Cebu has become a convention destination in the country," Gregorio said.

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i agree with this article.we dont need a megadome its just a waste of budget.we better fund that big budget to other things such as healthcare and education than spending it to megadome which dont give our provincial government a good return of investment.lets make a feasibilty study on this,do you think this will give the government much profit?and if it will be realized i dont think it can make a return in 20 yrs.come to think of this guys....

[M@rv|n]

uhhhh com'n megadome is not only limited to conventions and conferences. how can we host a NBA game if we dont have a megadome? how can we host a Manny Pacquiao fight if we dont have a megadome? and other bigtime international sport and events , ay ko ingna adto na nimo i butang sa GYM ni teddy? kng mao na c teddy ray maadunahan ana

[boy_kotong]

I do think that the megdome would add up to Cebu's image as one of the country's best and improving province.

[O.C.]

It will still make a difference if we have a megadome in our city. One, it will be an added tourist attraction; second, we will be able to host international sports and recreations; and third, it will make way for more foreign investors... result will be an economic boom.

[Ferl]

cebu nalang uy kay basin himoon nya shabu lab sa mandaue.ahhehehe :mrgreen:

[boy_kotong]

It will still make a difference if we have a megadome in our city. One, it will be an added tourist attraction; second, we will be able to host international sports and recreations; and third, it will make way for more foreign investors... result will be an economic boom.

sakto ka O.C.

[potterboy]

cebu is already the best and improving. it doesnt need a megadome to tell that. just this quarter, a number of investors are setting their eyes on cebu and currently, there are obvious expansions and changes in the province's economy alone.

please ayaw lang sa mandaue... daghan na kaayo ta ug GYM dri.

[riko diko]

Anywhere dili maka cause ug traffic during events.

[Bolshoi]

Mau nani ron cge tag oppose pru no. 1 option Mandaue man jud...
Dako kayug ngesi's Ouano ani ron!tsk! tsK! tsk!,...
Next month na rba mag start ang bidding,... na saun? kadako rabas budget,... huh! huh! huh! huh!,...

Try to read below for the details mga kapatid,....



‘Megadome should not be priority’Published: 19 January 2006

by Dale G. Israel and Doris C. Bongcac

While the Capitol races against time to complete the Cebu Megadome in time for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 12th Summit in December, some provincial legislators still have mixed feelings about it.
While a majority of the provincial board believes that the project, to be built in Mandaue City, is a necessity, board members Estrella Yapha and Victoria Corominas still say that the Megadome should not be a priority.
Yapha said provincial hospitals are more important, and that convention centers should be left to the private sector to build.

“Ato sa nang sugdan ang hospital kay puro ra man na isturya, humanon usa na nato (Let’s start with the hospitals because so far it’s all been talk. Let’s finish that first),� Yapha said.
Corominas, for her part, said the most basic needs of the people should be prioritized, not a building that does not have clear benefits for Cebu.
She said the province should initiate projects that will directly benefit the taxpayers.
“Projects should have a lasting impact, and not only for the benefit of guests whose stay in our province is temporary,� she added.
Board Member Carmiano Kintanar, however, has another take on the issue. He said he was in favor of constructing the Megadome as a convention center, but not as a sports arena.
He said the ASEAN Summit is a historical event for Cebu, and should be given much preparation.
In addition, any expenses the province incurs in constructing the convention center is expected to be reimbursed by a future investor.
“Just like what happened in Manila where the SM Group invested in a similar convention structure near the Mall of Asia. We hope that they will do the same for Cebu,� he said.
Kintanar’s position was echoed by Board Member Juan Bolo, who said that the convention center would continue to earn revenues for the province.
Bolo is a member of the provincial government’s Economic Enterprise Council (EEC), which is tasked to make Capitol properties earn money, especially lots that are currently idle.
The EEC has been tasked to determine how the Megadome could continue to earn money after the summit.
Board Member Jose Maria Gastardo said he also supported the Megadome, but only if all expenses on the project are made transparent.
The bidding process for the project has started, with the Capitol posting an ad in the Philippine Daily Inquirer welcoming contractors to bid on the P250-million project.
A pre-bid conference is scheduled on February 1.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia hopes to finish her landmark project by November, a month before the ASEAN Summit.
MANDAUE PREPARATIONS
Aside from being the site of the Megadome, Mandaue City has also been making its own preparations for the summit.
Mayor Thadeo Ouano has ordered the creation of an ASEAN Summit Task Force that would oversee the city’s preparations in hosting the summit.
In an executive order issued on January 17, Ouano has also ordered the city government to set aside P1 million, taken from the tourism fund, for the task force’s expenses.
The task force, Ouano said, would focus mainly on the city’s beautification and security preparations for the summit.
“We are also trying to hasten our preparations in time for the Mantawi festival in May,� the mayor said.
The mayor had earlier called on city-employed architects to brainstorm on beautification plans.
The mayor was scheduled to meet with representatives of the Department of Public Work and Highways on Thursday.

[arnoldsa]

^^

There's an existing structure lagi, the UniWide Sales Building... it's a very very big structure..

Ila unta tu paninduton... Mas nindot pa jud tu kaysa sa PICC sa Manila...