By Rachelle M. Nessia

Dumaguete City (7 August) -- The National Football Association (NFA) is eyeing to hold the National Open Football Championship in Dumaguete City.

This developed after officials of the Negros Oriental Football Association told Gov. Emilio C. Macias II of their national counterpart's plan of holding the said games on Dumaguete soil.

Capitol Information Officer Adrian Sedillo said no specific date has yet been set for the football championship.

He said that what drew NFA to set its sights on Negros Oriental as the venue for the championship game is the province's P20M rubberized oval.

The oval is now seen as the province's crowning glory in the sports arena, drawing admiration from the officials of the Philippine Olympics Committee (POC) who was recently in town during the Visayas leg of the Philippine Olympics Festival games hosted by Negros Oriental.

Sedillo said the provincial government has provided for the sports facilities in the province "and now it is up to the stakeholders to utilize them fully."

Construction of more sports facilities is still ongoing at the Perdices Memorial Coliseum, in which Sedillo said there will be tennis and basketball courts along with a three-storey hotel.

Sedillo said that due to budgetary constraints, the construction is being done phase by phase, with the province having poured P10M for this year's construction phase.

Sedillo also disclosed that POC Chairman Roberto Aventajado has promised to give the province a diving board to boost the facilities of the Aqua Center diving pool.

Meanwhile, The United States will provide a P1.9- billion grant to the Philippines to support the Arroyo administration's "investing in people and capacity-building" program, and help sustain the country's economic growth.

Inclusive of the government's counterpart fund of P600 million, the total amount would reach P2.645 billion.