The chairmanship of several committees that will be created for the country’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games will not be limited to officials from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).
In a media briefing yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, PSC chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez said “private individuals who have the influence” and know-how will be tapped to serve as heads of committees for the 30th SEAG.
Traditionally, national sports association leaders were assigned by the POC to man key posts but Ramirez insists that it is not automatic that they would again be appointed.
“It will be the SEAG chairman, (Foreign Affairs secretary Allan Peter Cayetano) who will call the shots,” said Ramirez.
The POC had verbally appointed Makati congressman Monsour del Rosario as chief of mission for the 2019 SEAG and POC president Jose ‘Peping’ Cojuangco even assured him that he will be provided with a bevy of assistants to ensure the successful staging.
Last time in Kuala Lumpur, the Philippines’ performance remained stagnant at sixth place with a meager haul of 24 gold medals.
Given the hectic schedule of Cayetano, the major players – the PSC and the POC – have yet to meet over the actual hosting that even competition dates remain undecided just yet.
Last week, the POC said an initial list of sports and events to be played in the 2019 edition should be in place by the end of the year with focus on Olympic and traditional sports although the host country is usually given the luxury of selecting certain non-traditional sports.
Still, the POC swears that staging these non-traditional sports and events should be kept to a minimum.