‘SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

~ Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez and
Representative Maximo B. Rodriquez, Jr.

House Bill No, 4174

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Last December, 2010, the Philippine football team, more popularly known as the
Azkals beat Vietnam in order to enter the semifinals of the AFF Suzuki Cup. In the
semifinals, the Azkals were supposed to play in the Philippines to face Indonesia in a home-
and-away series where the winner will play for the championship. However, the Federation
of football of ASEAN (AFF) deemed that the Azkals’ home field In Panaad, Bacolod is not up
to the federation's requirements. As such, the Azkals were forced to play in Indonesia
against Indonesia in front around 80,000 Indonesians in what was supposed to be a “home”
game for the Azkals, The Azkals lost to Indonesia and falled to advance to the championship
round. While there is no guarantee that the Azkals would have won had they played in the
Philippines, home-field advantage would have definitely helped as thousands of Filipinos
would be behind our players cheering them on instead of thousands of Indonesians jeering
them,

This just underscores the fact that the country needs a bigger and better football
stadium in order to give our Azkals a home where they can practice and host international
tournaments. There are currently five football stadiums all over the Philippines. The biggest
of which is the adopted home of the Azkals which is the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod which
only has a capacity of 20,000. In contrast, our neighbors in Asia have bigger and better
stadiums. Indonesia has the Bung Karno Stadium with a 100,000 capacity, Vietnam has the
My Dinh stadium with a capacity of 40,000, Brunei has the Sultan Hassal Bokiah Stadium
with a capacity of 30,000, Cambodia has the 50,000 capacity National Olympic Stadium,
Singapore has the 65,000 capacity Stadium of Singapore and Myanmar has the Bogyoke
Aung San Stadium with a capacity of 40,000.

And as seen in the recent Azkals versus Mongolia match held in Panaad Stadium,
the 20,000 capacity is not enough. As the sport gains popularity, so does the number of
Filipinos who want to see our team perform live in action. The Philippine Football Federation
(PFF) printed out 18,000 tickets, including 4,000 grandstand tickets that were sold out days
before the match, and 4,000 VIP tickets.

It is high time that we bring back the glory days of football in the Philippines like the
70's and 80's when the Philippine football team was among the strongest in Asia and while
the country is admittedly still basketball-crazy, we need to face the facts that we have better
opportunities in football considering that Filipino football players have the skills and talent at
par and even better than players from neighboring countries

In view of the foregoing, immediate approval of this bill is earnestly requested.



SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES }
First Regular Session }

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez and
Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr.

House Bill No. 41°74

ANACT
APPROPRIATING THE SUM OF THREE HUNDRED MILLION PESOS FOR THE
CONSTRUCTION A WORLD CLASS FOOTBALL STADIUM IN THE PHILIPPINES WITH
A SEATING CAPACITY OF 50,000

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. The sum of Five Hundred Million Pesos (P500,000,000) is hereby appropriated
exclusively for the construction of a world class football stadium in the Philippines with a
seating capacity of 50,000

SEC 2. The Philippine Sports Commission, after consultation with all stakeholders shall
decide where to build this new stadium.

SEC. 2. Repealing Clause — All laws, decrees, orders, instructions, proclamations, rules and
regulations or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed,
modified, or amended accordingly.

SEC. 3. Effectivity - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete publication
in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,