Ciudad de Victoria Complex and the Philippine Arena Inaugurated

CIUDAD DE VICTORIA COMPLEX INAUGURATED

President Aquino and Brother Manalo 

led the Inauguration Program; Officials laud Philippine 

Arena Inauguration; and more related news.

 July 21, 2014. Thousands of people, many of whom are members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), trooped to the 55,000-seater Philippine arena to witness the inauguration of the Ciudad de Victoria complex hours before the 8am celebration.

Also inaugurated today were the Philippines Arena, the centerpiece of the Ciudad de Victoria, and the Philippine Sport Stadium. The unveiling of the “marker” was led by the Iglesia Ni Cristo Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, and the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Benigno S. Aquino III.

The Philippine Arena is the largest of its kind in the planet, the biggest dome in the world. After the unveiling of the marker, the scheduled program continued inside the Philippine Arena. Brother Armando F. Ernie, one of the senior ministers of the Church, led the opening prayer.

The opening remark was delivered by Brother Bienvenido C. Santiago, Sr., INC General Evangelist. He emphasized that the Philippine Arena is a multi-purpose dome to be used not only by the Iglesia Ni Cristo, but may utilized by others, as service to our country and most of all for the glory of our Lord God.

The program was highlighted with the speech of no other than by President Aquino, the guest of honor.

 

President Aquino in his speech lauded the efforts of the Iglesia Ni Cristo led by Brother Eduardo V. Manalo to build the Ciudad de Victoria complex only through the voluntary contributions of the members. The said complex aimed to boost the country’s medical and educational tourism, as well as the morale and skills of the Filipino athletes and artists.

The program was ended through the closing prayer of Brother Dan V. Orosa, also a senior minister of the Church.

Ciudad de Victoria will also be the site of the soon-to-be-finished Philippine Sports Complex, EGM General Hospital, and the biggest New Era University campus.

Ciudad de Victoria complex will be the venue for the Iglesia Ni Cristo Grand Centennial Celebration (July 27) which is expected to draw a crowd of about one million people.

Bro.Eduardo V. Manalo presented a coffee table book to 
President Pnoy featuring the Ciudad de Victoria

Officials laud Philippine Arena Inauguration

Government officials were all praises for Ciudad de Victoria and its centerpiece, the Philippine Arena, as they voiced their support for the facility.

House Speaker Sonny Belmonte, who was also present during the groundbreaking ceremony for the arena last year, was astounded, claiming he has seen the outside of the place several times but was amazed by its sheer size when he stepped inside.

Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, meanwhile, remarked that it is a great honor to be part of the inauguration ceremony, and said she envies Bulacan governor Wilhelmino Sy Alvarado for “hitting the jackpot” with the arena – said to be the biggest of its kind on the planet.

“I wish we have something like this in Ilocos Norte,” she said.

Her brother, Senator Bongbong Marcos, said the Philippine Arena will serve as an inspiration to aspiring athletes and artists who wish to perform on a world-class stage. Marcos added that even without an event, people are certain to flock to the Philippine Arena as “it is a tourist destination by itself”.

Former Pampanga governor Mark Lapid, now Chief Operations Officer of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), said that the Ciudad de Victoria is the first approved “tourism enterprise zone” in the Philippines, while the arena is a mega-structure that is recognized around the world. Lapid expects Ciudad de Victoria to boost the country’s medical and educational tourism through the soon-to-be constructed hospital, school and other facilities which will “increase employment and generate more income opportunities”.

Secretary Mary Anne Lucille Sering of the Climate Change Commission remarked that it will have a very large impact on Philippine sports, while Cavite Representative Lani Mercado, together with son Cavite Vice Governor Jolo Revilla, both expressed wonder and pride for Ciudad de Victoria, which they said is a potential tourist attraction.

Cavite Governor Juanito Victor Remulla, on the other hand, said he was overwhelmed with the number of people inside the Arena, and said that the place showcases what the Filipino is actually capable of doing.

MMDA lauds Phil Arena traffic efforts

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino lauded the supposed “organized” flow of traffic that engulfed a major section of the NLEX this morning during the Philippine Arena inauguration.

Thousands of people attended the celebration in Bocaue on board 3000 buses and other vehicles early this morning. Despite the expected congested traffic, the MMDA said it has been going “smoothly”.

“Well-disciplined ang mga kaanib ng Iglesia Ni Cristo, maayos po ang kanilang pagpasok,” said Tolentino in televised interview. “Well-coordinated kami (government officials) and the INC Officers sa activity na ito.”

Tolentino added that this will be the same structure and plan for next week’s centennial celebration (July 27), where crowds are deemed to at least double in number.

#PhilippineArena Tops Twitter

#PhilippineArena is the sixth trending topic worldwide. Congratulations and to God be the glory!

The inauguration of the Philippine Arena, the biggest indoor arena in the world, is now the no. 1 in trending topic in Twitter. It has now reached top 6 worldwide.

Netizens from here and abroad, bombarded social media for the said event in Ciudad de Victoria, Bocaue.

#PhilippineArena bested the usual various trending topics like Taylor Swift and Wiggle Wiggle. The arena is expected to generate even more buzz among netizens next week when for the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) centennial celebration.

Phil Arena to break Guiness Record

The Philippines are on the brink of entering the Guiness World Records once more with the inauguration of the newly built Philippine Arena - touted as the largest indoor arena in the world.

According to various media reports, the Guiness Records are expected to release an official statement anytime today naming it as the biggest indoor domed arena on the planet.

With a seating capacity of 55,000, the arena sits on the heart of Ciudad de Victoria, a 75-hectare tourism enterprise zone in Bocaue, Bulacan. It is the centerpiece of the centennial projects of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) for their grand celebration on July 27.

The arena, which is being inaugurated today, is said to be typhoon and earthquake proof.