Three mall giants, De La Salle among interested buyers of Rizal sports complex

**Monseratto** · June 4th, 2013 08:51 AM

Anyone else but SM...

A BIDDING war among three mall giants and a top university is expected once a plan to put the historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex up for sale finally pushes through.

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Ricardo Garcia said on Monday that De La Salle and the SM Group of Companies are two of four parties that have shown interest in buying the property which for decades has stood as the home of Philippine sports.

Long-stymied plans to sell the historic venue along Vito Cruz in Manila and build a modern national sports complex in less-congested areas like Clark in Angeles City were revived by Philippine Olympic Committee president Peping Cojuangco shortly after ally Joseph Estrada's victory in the Manila mayoralty race.

While the PSC supervises the venue on behalf of the national government, the City of Manila owns the land where the complex stands.

“La Salle and SM (are two of them) but there are actually four,” Garcia said of the interested buyers during the PSC’s weekly press briefing on Monday.

Garcia declined to identify the two other interested parties but a separate Spin.ph source said Robinsons Land and Ayala Corporation have also looked into the possibility of buying the Rizal complex.

Of the four, the source said De La Salle has been the most aggressive buyer since it sits right next to the complex and buying even a portion of the property is the only way it could pursue a long-delayed expansion of its campus.

So interested is the Taft-based school that it has taken a 'name your price' stand in the negotiations, sources said.

“They have all the resources,” said the source of De La Salle. “Parang ‘name your price’ sila. They are not worried about the price. That’s how interested they are.”

The source said there was a previous plan to sell to La Salle a part of the Rizal Complex that is closest to them. That includes the land where the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Tennis Center, swimming pool, and the boxing gym currently sits.

Garcia said previous talks with outgoing Manila mayor Alfredo Lim regarding the sale of the sports complex bogged down. He didn't cite any reason, but the source said that the parties could not agree on how the proceeds will be divided.

“There were some differences but later on, there were changes. But it didn’t push through,” Garcia said.

Cojuangco had announced during a recent POC general assembly that he had initial talks with mayor-elect Estrada about the sale of the Rizal sports complex.

Cojuangco is an ally of Vice President Jejomar Binay, who along with Estrada are the leaders in the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) party. Cojuangco's wife Tingting even ran for a Senate seat under the UNA banner during the recent midterm elections.

Newly elected Pampanga Rep. Yeng Guiao has also offered to lead the push for an Act of Congress that could facilitate the sale of the Rizal complex. The concurrent Rain or Shine coach has backed plans to put up a national sports complex in Clark, which sits in his district.

Garcia said that they will have to wait for Estrada to officially take office before any talks could continue.

“It’s unfair to us that we announce that we have the right to sell (the property) even before the good mayor can sit down as mayor. I guess all of this will have to wait until Mayor Estrada can sit down (and said) that there is such an intention of selling the Rizal Memorial,” said Garcia.

**CVT** · June 4th, 2013 08:54 AM

Hhhhmmmmm,- mukhang magpapalaki ng campus ang DLSU.... Sobrang sikip na rin kasi.... What with the Henry Sy Building now occupying half of the old Football Field....

19.4K:tomato:

**Retz** · June 4th, 2013 09:18 AM

pwede bilhin ng SM Prime and then donate sa DLSU ulit

**vinj** · June 4th, 2013 09:36 AM

I'm sure DLSU is in a name-your-price stance as they can likewise convert it to a mix campus and commercial center and generate long term income. Traffic in the area sucks though.

Baka nagpapa-compute na si Erap ng commission sa sale ha. :lol:

**number001** · June 4th, 2013 09:55 AM

DLSU should get the rizal stadium property.

Maybe SM should instead just buy the entire Harrison Plaza and build a quadruplet or more of condo on top it.

**CVT** · June 4th, 2013 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by vinj

I'm sure DLSU is in a name-your-price stance as they can likewise convert it to a mix campus and commercial center and generate long term income. Traffic in the area sucks though.

Baka nagpapa-compute na si Erap ng commission sa sale ha. :lol:

I was in a huddle with some of the Alumni Officers during our last Homecoming...

Ang dami raw pera ng mga Brothers.... What with the sky high tuition fees 3x a year and donations from the Alumni...

Iyong proposed na technology center sa Canlubang, where they plan to transfer the College of Engineering (huhuhu for us Engineering Alumni).... Halos lahat *daw* ay donation....

Wala lang pera sa sports dahil nagkawatak-watak ang mga Alumni dahil sa *&^%$# pvt*ng-!n* na g*gong Lozada na paawa epek.... Bakit kasi kinupkop ang kvrakot-din-na-hindi-lang-nabigyan-ng-parte ng mga Brothers ng Greenhills???....

Ngayon, balik si Danding....

19.4K:tomato:

**vinj** · June 4th, 2013 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by CVT

I was in a huddle with some of the Alumni Officers during our last Homecoming...

Ang dami raw pera ng mga Brothers.... What with the sky high tuition fees 3x a year and donations from the Alumni...

Iyong proposed na technology center sa Canlubang, where they plan to transfer the College of Engineering (huhuhu for us Engineering Alumni).... Halos lahat *daw* ay donation....

Wala lang pera sa sports dahil nagkawatak-watak ang mga Alumni dahil sa *&^%$# pvt*ng-!n* na g*gong Lozada na paawa epek.... Bakit kasi kinupkop ang kvrakot-din-na-hindi-lang-nabigyan-ng-parte ng mga Brothers ng Greenhills???....

Ngayon, balik si Danding....

19.4K:tomato:

The trisem set-up is also a business move really. Faster turnover.

**CVT** · June 4th, 2013 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by vinj

The trisem set-up is also a business move really. Faster turnover.

I hear you bro....

19.4K:tomato:

**badkuk** · June 4th, 2013 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by number001

DLSU should get the rizal stadium property.

Maybe SM should instead just buy the entire Harrison Plaza and build a quadruplet or more of condo on top it.

Hmm.. DLSU Sports Complex. Ayos! Tama rin since they've built on their football field na rin. Kaso doesn't it have some sort of sports building already, yung mukhang post office?

Nasasayangan ako sa HP, anlaking lote but it's not being used to its full potential. Grabeng lubak sa parking, ngayon me bayad na pala!

i wonder kung magkano per sqm though

**macsd** · June 4th, 2013 11:08 AM

Peping can't wait to get this sell done. Laki kikitain nya double blade. Sa pagbenta ng Rizal after that sa new venue construction.
This is the best time to get this done for him while his nephew still is in Malacanang. he can't afford to miss this timing.