THE Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) guaranteed the country’s hosting of the 30th edition of the multisport regional competitions amid rumors that the Games will be canceled and hosted instead by either Thailand or Malaysia.
In a statement released on Friday afternoon, Phisgoc Chairman Alan Peter S. Cayetano “assured athletes, the sports community, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and the rest of the Filipino people that all preparations for the 30th Southeast Asian Games are in full swing.”
“Despite the budget cuts and various challenges confronting the Philippine hosting of the 30th SEA Games, we are unfazed and determined to make this successful,” Cayetano stressed. “We are determined to pursue our task and responsibility which was given to us by President Rodrigo Duterte last year.”
Cayetano added: “We know that the budget limitation is a major factor. But our strong will to mount the best SEA Games in history for the sake of our athletes and the Filipino people is bigger than any other problem confronting us today.”
Intrigues have plagued the Phisgoc in its operations especially after the Senate cut the Games’ budget from general appropriations from P7.5 billion to P5 billion.
Compounding the issues were criticisms pelted against the leadership of Ricky Vargas at the Philippine Sports Commission. These bordered on Vargas’s projected failure to secure the loyalty of the POC board, a controversy that lured his predecessor Jose Cojuangco Jr. and the vocal head of the chess association, Rep. Prospero Pichay, into the picture.
Vargas on Thursday slammed the controversies—including reports that the Thais and Malaysians are willing to take over as hosts—and branded them as “fake news.”
In the Phisgoc statement, Cayetano said the Games is on track toward their target as the biggest in its history with the country hosting 523 events spread in 56 sports.
“As we speak, we are now into the detailed planning of these sporting events, including the six eSports made as medal events for the first time in a multisport competition sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee,” Cayetano said.
Cayetano said that the Phisgoc has been successful in tapping private companies to sponsor the Games and augment its budget.
“The overwhelming support of the private partners boosts our efforts to facilitate event preparations,” he said. “Budget is clearly a challenge. We continue to work with legislative and administrative branches of government.”
“There is no stopping the Philippines from hosting the 30th SEA Games. It may be apparent that there are personalities who are eyeing to sabotage the preparations for the Philippines’s hosting of the SEA Games. We at Phisgoc would like to reiterate our openness to listen and address their concerns on various issues. We will not tolerate fake news or misinformation that will damage the image of the country,” Cayetano said.
The SEA Games are set from November 30 to December 11 at the New Clark City, Subic, Metro Manila, Tagaytay City, La Union and Batangas.