By Nick Giongco
The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), one of the stakeholders in the country’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, said over the weekend that marquee sports basketball and boxing will be held in Metro Manila.
While a big number of the sports and events are going to be played in the main hub of Clark Green City in Tarlac, PSC chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez said basketball and boxing will have to stay in the big city.
The organizing committee has yet to finalize the roster of events but the PSC, which will work with the Philippine Olympic Committee and the organizers in staging the biennial sportsfest, has inside information about the plans.
In fact, Ramirez said upgrading the Rizal Memorial Coliseum and rehabilitating the Ninoy Aquino Stadium is in the pipeline.
Apart from Clark and Metro Manila, other SEAG locations include Bocaue, Bulacan, where the Philippine Arena is, and Subic, where water sports will be held.
The Philippines is bidding to wrest the overall crown after winning it for the first time when it was the host in 2005.
Makati Rep. and former taekwondo star Monsour del Rosario is the chief of mission while the head of the organizing committee is Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano.
