Repairs eyed in damaged rubberized track

‘DPWH, contractors commit to finish jobs at Zambo sports complex’

THE DEPARTMENT OF Public Works and Highways, which is responsible for the rehabilitation of the Mayor Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex, and its contractors, have committed to repair damaged rubberized track at the stadium.

City Government photos show Mayor Beng Climaco inspecting the damaged rubberized track at the Mayor Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex.

Mayor Beng Climaco together Vice Mayor Rommel Agan and Councilor Bong Atilano and personnel from the City Engineer’s Office and City Sports Division, inspected the facilities at the sports complex in Barangay Baliwasan. 

After the inspection, Climaco’s group held a meeting with representatives from the DPWH and contractors RCDG Construction Corporation and R.U. Aquino Construction and Development Corporation. 

The project is a joint venture between the two contractors and they committed to undertake rehabilitation of damaged facilities, particularly the rubberized track. It was started on March 21, 2016 and completed on January 1, 2019. 

Last September, DPWH Project Engineer Shadimar Jalaidi said they told the private contractors to immediately repair the damaged portion of the rubberized track. 

Jalaidi said the contractors will start the repair soon because the project is still within the one-year warranty period since the formal turnover of the P199-million sports complex in February 2021. He said the certificate of completion and other bills for final payment have also been withheld pending corrective measures on the defects. 

DPWH Assistant Secretary Maximo Carvajal, who led the turnover of the sports complex together with DPWH Regional Director Cayamombao Dia, bragged the stadium, built in 1992, is now back to its old glory. They even claimed the complex as “world class” after the rehabilitation and Dia praised those behind it and the perseverance and hard work of the men and women of DPWH-9, including the designers, the estimators, the project supervision team and the contractor for successfully implementing the project that started.” 

The project involves the construction of the oval track, ball game courts, playing field, bleachers, toilet and shower, and other facilities. It also includes general painting works for the entire building and roofs, replacement of lighting fixtures, installation of roll-up doors, upgrading of plumbing systems, construction of new septic vault, and new gates along the Western Mindanao State University and R.T. Lim Boulevard. 

City Sports Officer Dr. Cecile Atilano previously said the 57,000 square meter sports complex will remain open to the public, except the Lanes 1 up to 4 of the rubberized track oval to prevent further damage. 

The stadium was damaged after it was used by the government as temporary shelter for thousands of families displaced by the siege of 2013 when loyal supporters of Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari raided Zamboanga and street battle lasted for three weeks leaving dozens of people dead. (Zamboanga Post)