DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 1 March) – The Department of Public Works and Highways has asked the University of the Philippines Mindanao to fasttrack its designs for the Davao City Sports Complex at its campus in Mintal for bidding to begin in March, according to a UP official.
Antonio Obsioma, UPMin Vice Chancellor for Administration, said in a telephone interview Sunda the school’s in-house architects would have to finish the designs as soon as possible.
“The team is already considering many designs,” Obsioma said.
At the moment, the team is working on the costing for the project aside from needed design changes to a plan from the UP system.
Another source, who asked not to be named for lack of authority to speak on the matter, said the original timeline for the design completion was the latter half of 2015 instead.
“But Congressman (Isidro) Ungab himself does not like a haphazard design of the facility,” Obsioma said.
Ungab, in an earlier interview, said the project would initially cost P250 million to meet the needs of the city government.
The facility would be capable of hosting regional or national events.
According to Obsioma, UP was “shocked” by the availability of the funds, adding it did not anticipate the pace that it was taking.
“We thought that we could submit around the middle of the year,” Obsioma said. “But the project needs to be for bidding. Of course, in everything, there are always challenges.”
The UP official said it was also waiting for the schedule of the committee hearing for the memorandum of understanding for the project, to be heard at the City Council under the rules committee headed by Councilor Bernard Al-ag.