Team DailyPedia
Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo has detailed how the ₱500-million national government grant to the city will be spent following questions over the allocation.
Robredo said ₱450 million will fund the repair and rehabilitation of the Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum, while the remaining ₱50 million will be used to purchase heavy equipment to strengthen Naga City’s disaster-response capabilities.
According to Robredo, the coliseum was built in 2009 and opened in 2010 as a venue for large gatherings, conventions, sporting events, and concerts. It was renamed after her late husband, former Interior Secretary and Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo, following his death in 2012.
Over the years, however, the facility has also served as Naga’s largest evacuation center during disasters despite not being designed for that purpose.
Robredo said the coliseum lacks some of the facilities needed to properly accommodate displaced families, including adequate sleeping areas, flood-safe comfort rooms, communal kitchens, and dedicated spaces for relief supplies.
“After Typhoon Kristine, which brought us the worst floods, the need to repair and retrofit the Coliseum became even more stark,” she said.
After assuming office as Naga mayor in 2025, Robredo said she began looking for funding for the rehabilitation project.
She said Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan suggested that the city apply for assistance through the Local Government Support Fund because of the nature and cost of the project.
According to Robredo, the city was informed in early February 2026 that its request had been approved in principle. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. later turned over the funding documents during his February 21 visit to Naga.
The national government said the modernization project would cover structural strengthening as well as improvements to roofing, drainage, sanitation facilities, a community kitchen, and dedicated medical response areas.
Robredo also explained why work on the coliseum had not immediately started despite the funding being announced months earlier.
Several government and nongovernment offices currently operating inside the facility first have to be transferred to the Balatas Building.
She said the bidding process was scheduled for September and had reached the post-qualification stage, with construction targeted to begin in October.
The allocation drew scrutiny from Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice, who questioned whether the assistance could be politically motivated.
Malacañang rejected the suggestion, saying national government assistance to local governments is based on their needs and the government’s capacity to respond.
“Ang pagtulong po sa local government, wala po itong pinipili. Kung ano iyong kailangan ng local government, iyon po ang puwedeng matugunan kung kakayanin,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said.
The Palace also noted that Naga City was not the only local government unit to receive assistance from the Marcos administration.
