The signing of a memorandum of agreement by Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. and Education Secretary Armin Luistro for the turnover of the Paglaum Sports Complex in Bacolod City to the Negros Occidental provincial government did not push through last night, as both parties agreed to revise some of its provisions.

The Department of Education has agreed to turn over the sports complex to the provincial government, saying it does not have funds to maintain the facility, Provincial Legal Officer Jose Maria Valencia said last night.

But the governor would not enter into an agreement with provisions in the MOA that he does not want to comply with, Valencia said.

Among the provisions stated in the MOA include the possible construction of additional classrooms by DepEd within the sports complex, which the provincial government rejected.

Valencia said he and Maranon Jr. informed Luistro during a meeting at the Provincial Capitol Building in Bacolod City last night that  the “sports complex should remain a sports complex… you don’t have a football field or an oval with classrooms along the way”.

He, however, said the provincial government and the DepEd have agreed to build a two-storey building with 24 classrooms for NOHS students, not inside the sports complex, but within the right drive way of the complex.

As soon as the PSC is turned over to the provincial government, Valencia said they will remove the squatters in it, including those at the NOHS compound, in a humane manner.

Valencia said they are planning to put up a three-storey structure along the Hernaez and Lacson streets, with the ground floor to be used for commercial spaces to earn money to support the education of NOHS students.

The second floor will be used for a call center, while the third floor be allocated for a dormitory for students who are studying in Bacolod and cannot afford to pay a P1,200 monthly bed space, Valencia said.

“We may charge each student of P300 to P400 a month in order to maintain the facility,” Valencia said.

It was also agreed during the dialog that the foundation of the proposed three-storey commercial building should be made strong, to accommodate two more floors, should DepEd decide to construct more classrooms, he added.*GPB

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