Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo has expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for releasing a ₱500-million Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) to renovate the Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum (JRMC).
“Maraming salamat, Mr. President sa pag-turn over ng SARO for 500M para sa pagsasaayos ng ating Coliseum,” Robredo said in Bicolano via Facebook on Sunday.
The Presidential Communications Office stated that the funds will be used for retrofitting and modernization, including a community kitchen for disaster relief, sanitation improvements, roofing upgrades, and structural strengthening.
Built in 2010 during the late Jesse Robredo’s tenure as Interior and Local Government secretary, the JRMC — nicknamed the “Big Dome of the South” — has a 12,000-seat capacity and also functions as a major evacuation and relief center.
Robredo also thanked Senator Kiko Pangilinan for initiating the funding request and Executive Secretary Ralph Recto for facilitating the release.
Marcos said their meeting was “bereft of politics” and focused solely on public service, joking, “The most political thing that we did today, I wore my pink socks in honor of Mayor Leni,” referencing her 2022 campaign color.
Speculation continues over Robredo’s potential presidential bid in 2028, which could set up a contest with Vice President Sara Duterte.