By BEN ROSARIO
The House of Representatives will have to pass up any move to conduct a congressional inquiry into various reports of inadequacies and irregularities committed in the country’s hosting of the Southeast Asian Games.
Instead, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said any probe on the issues should be given to the Senate.
Salceda, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, explained that a House probe into the alleged SEAG fiasco would not “prosper” considering that it is House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, being the chairman of the Philippines SEA Games Organizing Committee, who will be put in the center of the probe.
House Minority Leader and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante shared Salceda’s views but stressed that he believes that Cayetano and Phisgoc did the best they could to guarantee the country’s successful of the regional sporting event.
“I am optimistic the Philippines will succeed,” said Abante.
However, House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate is opposed to the opinion of Salceda and Abante.
Zarate said the House owes it to the Filipinos to conduct a probe into the failures of the SEAG hosting. A congressional inquiry into the public expenditures in the SEAG should be pursued but only after it is over, he said.
Salceda is optimistic on a positive hosting of the SEAG.
“There will be a tidal wave of reversal of public sentiment starting Nov. 30,” said Salceda. He added: “This will be the best SEAG hosted in history.”
