Arena builders confident of meeting deadline

Here’s a reprint of an article first published on Inquirer.net. All credits go to original writer and publisher.

Arena builders confident of meeting deadline

By Manolo R. Iñigo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The builders of the 50,000-seat Philippine Arena are confident of completing the billion-peso project by early 2014, the centennial year of Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), owner of the multipurpose complex.
One of the major facilities in the planned city to be known as Ciudad de Victoria (City of Victory), the Philippine Arena, which I reported in an exclusive article, could very well be considered the world’s biggest indoor domed coliseum upon completion.
Built on a 75-hectare land located in the municipalities of Bocaue and Sta. Maria, Bulacan, the compound will also house the Eraño G. Manalo Medical Center and the New Era University Sports Complex and Stadium.
Construction of the Philippine Arena and its adjoining facilities will be undertaken by an international team of experienced engineers and contractors composed of leading firms from Korea (Hanhwa Engineering and Construction Co.), United Kingdom (Buro Happold) and Australia (Populous).
Said Kim Hyun-Chung, a top executive of Hanhwa Engineering: “The Philippine Arena is one of the largest indoor arenas in the world. It covers 245 meters in length and 185 meters in width. However, I believe that this prestigious project means more than its size. It is going to be a historical monument of the Iglesia ni Cristo in celebrating 100 years of its history.