One of the rooms at Grandstand Hotel.Photo courtesy of Public Affairs and Media Relations-Provincial Public Information Office of Agusan del Sur
PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 30 April) – The Governor DO Plaza Memorial Sports Complex here will open its Grandstand Hotel to guests who will be coming for the Caraga Regional Athletic Games (CRAG) on May 5-11.
The hotel sits behind the 3,000-seat grandstand and promises comfort and convenience for athletes, officials, and spectators alike with its fully air-conditioned rooms equipped with wi-fi connections, according to Angie Lee Patac Calimbo, information officer of the Provincial Economic Enterprise Development Office.
Calimbo said the hotel has 24-rooms but only 18 are fully furnished for the week-long sporting event that starts on Sunday.
She added the hotel will be open after the CRAG to those who will hold trainings and seminars at the Provincial Learning Center, which is just about 200 meters from it.
Gov. Santiago Cane Jr. said that aside from the Grandstand Hotel, the host province will tap hotels and other accommodation facilities here and in nearby towns as well as public schools to billet the 10,066 athletes, coaches, tournament officials, and guest officials from around the region.
Cane said the rehabilitated sports complex, which features state-of-the-art facilities, has an Olympic-size swimming pool, a fully air-conditioned covered court for basketball and volleyball, a tennis court, a rubberized track and field oval, and a football field on artificial grass.
Linda Buquir, the provincial engineer, said the rehabilitation project cost P713 million and was done by three private contractors since June 2018.
Completed in 1994, further development of the facility was shelved after the provincial government failed to get the nod to host the Palaro at that time.
The provincial government revived its bid to host the Palarong Pambansa in 2026, competing alongside Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga City.
The governor and Agusan del Sur 1st District Rep. Alfelito Bascug accompanied Department of Education Regional Director Maria Ines Asuncion in presenting the provincial government’s bid at the DepEd central office last March 8. (Chris V. Panganiban/MindaNews)
