MANILA, Philippines – Some venues of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex sustained severe damage caused by deep flooding brought by the monsoon rains that have devastated Metro Manila and nearby provinces the last few days.
Boy Dinglasan, acting property department chief of the Philippine Sports Commission, said the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Gymnastics and Badminton Centers all sustained damages and will need major repair, if not total replacement.
The worst hit was the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, where its immovable maple flooring was inundated by floods because it is nearest to the creek surrounding the complex in the Adriatico Extension area.
"Both Rizal and Ninoy have maple floors, the difference is that the Rizal can be disassembled and dried while the Ninoy, it cannot," Dinglasan told The STAR. "We're still looking at the damage at the Gymnastics Center but the taraflex flooring in the Badminton venue can be dried and cleaned."
In the meantime, PSC employees have siphoned the water out of both basketball and volleyball venues including that of the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, which was only renovated and got a new flooring just a couple of years ago.
Dinglasan said the major flooding was caused by poor drainage system in both Adriatico and Vito Cruz streets.
"Yes, the poor drainage was one of the causes. Also, the Vito Cruz used to be a lower ground than the Rizal complex. Now it’s the other way around so the water goes straight to us," he said.
Year after year, flooding at the age-old sports facility has become a natural thing and replacing flooring at the several venues inside will be meaningless and a waste of money for the government sports-funding agency.