THE  REHABILITATION of D.O. Plaza  Memorial Sports Complex at the provincial government center, is nearly complete and features state-of-the-art facilities that can host sporting events on a global scale, according to Gov. Santiago Cane Jr.

The sports complex, set to be completed this month, features an olympic-sized swimming pool, a 24-room hotel housed in the main grandstand, a fully air-conditioned covered court for basketball, volleyball, a tennis court, and a rubberized track and field oval and artificial grass football field.

Total project cost of the world-class sports complex is about P13 million for the Phase 1 and Phase 2 which were implemented by three private contractors since June 2018.

The contractors have already accomplished at least 97 percent completion and is expected to be inaugurated on March 2023.

Governor Cane, a former athlete who competed at the national championships, inspected the sports complex with the contractors recently and reported that the facilities meet international standards.

During the inspection, the contractors informed the governor that some areas still need updating, such as the stagnant water on the track oval.

Service providers have promised to look into the problem and find a solution.

Cane  has made it clear that the provincial government would not give its stamp of approval to the project unless all construction defects were fixed and all specifications were met on time and in accordance with the work schedule.

When the construction of the sports complex began, Rep. Adolph Edward “Eddiebong” Plaza, of the province’s  2nd Congressional district, was still in office as governor.

Construction was slightly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governor Cane claimed that the sports complex could host events on an international scale if it were to receive high enough ratings from independent evaluators.

The construction of the sports complex was completed in 1994 when the late Gov. Democrito O. Plaza , father of Adolph Edward, was the province’s governor. Improving its facilities to olympic standards did not push through after a failed bid to host Palarong Pambansa, a national sports events for schools.