Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo on Monday defended the P500-million national government allocation for the rehabilitation and retrofitting of the Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum, saying the project is aimed at turning the facility into a safer and more functional evacuation center.
In a Facebook post, Robredo explained how the funding would be used amid questions raised over the allocation.
Robredo said the 12,000-seat coliseum has become Naga City's largest evacuation center because of the frequent typhoons and flooding that hit the city.
However, she said the facility was originally built as an events venue and therefore lacks several amenities needed to accommodate displaced families during disasters.
“Because it was not originally built as an evacuation center, it does not provide the basic amenities that an evacuation center should have,” Robredo said in a statement.
She cited limited space for tents, bleachers that cannot be used as beds, ground-floor comfort rooms that cannot be used during floods, and the absence of communal kitchens and designated areas for relief goods.
“After Typhoon Kristine, which brought us the worst floods, the need to repair and retrofit the Coliseum became even more stark,” she said.
Robredo said she began seeking funding for the rehabilitation after assuming office in 2025, but securing the amount needed for the project proved difficult.
“As soon as I assumed office in 2025, I tried to look for funding already for its rehabilitation. It was difficult because of the big amount that is required,” she stressed.
She said Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan advised the city to seek funding through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF), which the city subsequently pursued.
According to city records, Robredo formally sought Pangilinan's assistance in securing funding for the retrofit in November 2025. The Naga City Council later endorsed the request, with the proposed improvements estimated at P500 million.
Robredo said the request was approved in principle in early February 2026.
Robredo said P450 million of the allocation will go toward the rehabilitation and retrofitting of the coliseum, while P50 million will be used to purchase heavy equipment for disaster response.
“Sometime early February 2026, we were advised that the request was already approved in principle. On February 23, 2026, President BBM visited Naga and handed already to us the SARO - P450M for the repair and rehabilitation of the Coliseum and P50M for heavy equipment that we would need to strengthen our resilience against disasters,“ she said.
The funding came under scrutiny after Caloocan City 2nd District Representative Edgar Erice questioned whether political considerations influenced the release of the allocation.
Malacañang rejected the allegation, saying government assistance to local governments is based on their needs and the national government's capacity to respond. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro also said Naga City was not the only local government to receive assistance from the administration.
Meanwhile, Robredo said construction has yet to begin because several government and non-government offices currently occupying the coliseum need to be relocated. She said the temporary offices at the Balatas Building are expected to be ready in October.
“The Balatas Building that will serve as their temporary offices will only be ready by October so we scheduled the bidding September. Right now, we are already in the post qualification stage and, hopefully, construction can start within the month of October,” Robredo noted.
