by Nick Giongco
Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) Chair Alan Peter Cayetano thanked President Duterte and the Cabinet for their overwhelming support to boost the SEA games preparations and ensure the highest quality of hosting an international sports competition. These developments are expected to boost the confidence of our athletes and inspire them to perform well in their respective sports events.
“We are very much encouraged by the support of the President and the Cabinet. During the Cabinet briefing, we committed to have the best viewed and best hosted SEA games,” Cayetano said.
In a Cabinet meeting held last Monday, Cayetano presented the updates on the preparations for the SEA games to be held from November 30-December 11, 2019.
PHISGOC welcomed the approval of President Duterte of the additional P1 billion funding for the country’s hosting of the 30th Philippine Southeast Asian Games.
“We briefed the President and the Cabinet about the progress of the preparations including the construction of the major infrastructure facilities where the events will be held such as the Athletics Stadium, Aquatics Center and the Athletics Village,” Cayetano said.
Cayetano was joined by the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) President, Vince Dizon and Executive Board member and PHISGOC Chief Operating Officer Ramon Suzara. In the presentation, they highlighted that the SEA games is an opportunity to showcase an image of a nation that is safe, vibrant and competitive.
“The President agreed to augment the current budget of the SEA games because he understood the importance of the SEA games to the Filipino athletes and its long-term benefits to the tourism and economic sectors in the country,” Cayetano noted.
Last year, the PHISGOC proposed for P7.5 billion to fund the expenses necessary to ensure that the hosting will meet world-class standards. For this year’s SEA games, there will be 56 sports and 523 events that will be participated by 11,250 athletes and team officials in 11 countries. Congress, however, slashed P2.5 billion from its proposed budget.
During the meeting, it was also discussed that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Procurement Service will be tapped to help facilitate the procurement process to allow the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) conduct a faster and more efficient procurement of goods, supplies, sports equipment and service contractors that will cater to the needs of the SEA games.
