Games probe still a go
Yesterday the President mentioned that an electrifying opening ceremony does not free officials from investigations
The organizers of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games are not yet off the hook over allegations of misspending, despite the event’s impressive opening ceremony as President Rodrigo Duterte still wanted to
pursue an investigation after the biennial meet.
This was Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go’s statement in a radio interview on Sunday.
“Yesterday, the President mentioned that an electrifying opening ceremony does not free officials from investigations.
He was satisfied with the preparations, but will have to look into the totality,” Go said.
“Mr. Duterte said that an audit should be done if needed. It is important to ascertain that not one peso has been wasted in the holding of the event,” he added.
The neophyte senator also said Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano admitted that there were shortcomings in the hosting, but the President himself assured the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee chair that these are inevitable.
DU30 lets hair down
Go said the President was very delighted with the unity that was evident during the occasion.
“I saw him very happy, which reflects in his smile while he dances that I seldom see,” Go, who served as Duterte’s longtime aide, said in a radio interview.
“When he sees his countrymen happy, he is also delighted. That is his only desire, and we were glad that everybody cooperated,” he added.
The senator added that the presence of Filipino sports legends was also the highlight of the festivity.
According to Go, Duterte had a tight schedule on Saturday, but the Chief Executive decided to extend his stay and join the guests during the after-ceremony dinner.
“He was a bit tired, but it was obvious that his exhaustion disappeared when he witnessed the festive opening. After that, the President was in high spirits. He even stayed out late and took a late dinner,” he said.
During the opening program, the President was seen rocking to the tune of the OPM song “Manila,” while the crowd welcomed hundreds of Filipino athletes at the Philippine Arena on Saturday night. Sen. Ronald de la Rosa was also seen grooving at the sideline.
The Chief Executive gave the declaration to officially open the competitions.
Sitting beside Duterte during the ceremony was Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah whose son, Prince Abdul Mateen, is part of the Brunei polo team.
Also, earlier in the day, Mr. Duterte had a bilateral meeting with Bolkiah in Malacañang before attending the celebration of the 156th birth anniversary of Gat Andres Bonifacio in Caloocan City.
Proud Palace
Malacañang, meanwhile, congratulated organizers, performers, volunteers, and everyone behind the spectacular event.
In a statement, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the excellent opening of the Games, the fourth to be hosted by the country, was the first SEA Games launched in an indoor venue.
Panelo said the Office of the President in particular congratulates those behind the opening ceremony for a job exceedingly well done.
“The opening ceremony of the games was a sight to behold. Such a delight to watch a night where all Filipinos, regardless of age, social or political status and location, went in droves to show their support to the country’s hosting of the 30th SEA Games,” Panelo said.
“Once again, the Filipino nation rose to the challenge and exhibited before the world the cultural genius of the Filipino and the best of Filipino talent giving world-class performances of our singers and dancers with impressive stage design and production, including the cauldron-lighting ceremony, as well as the mesmerizing fireworks display,” he added.
According to Panelo, the Palace felt the Filipino pride that exuded and reverberated inside the biggest coliseum as the Filipino people cheered the entry onstage of the Philippine delegation, as well as the Filipino sports icons and legends who graced the event and whose presence not only delighted the crowd but gave inspiration to all regional athletes, including 1,868 local participants.
The Palace official said the eye-catching sports and musical extravaganza did not escape notice by Singapore’s respected Straits Times, which commented that, “It took just two hours to wipe away a week’s worth of bad headlines.”
I saw him very happy which reflects in his smile while he dances that I seldom see.
When he sees his countrymen happy, he is also delighted, that is his only desire and we were glad that everybody cooperated.
“Undoubtedly, the ceremony demonstrated the redoubtable ability of the Philippines to host the biggest sporting events in the world and entertain our foreign guests with the kind of merriment that we Filipinos excel and are famous for,” Panelo said.
Sara’s take
As Filipinos were amazed with how President Rodrigo Duterte danced to the tune of “Manila” by the OPM band Hotdog during the SEA Games official opening, the choice of the song did not sit well with presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
In an Instagram post, the younger Duterte underscored that organizers should have considered the inclusivity of the song used in the event to encompass non-Manileños if they want all Filipinos to cheer for the national athletes competing for the Games.
“Didn’t they carry the Philippine flag? Why would you play the song ‘Manila?’ Did Lapu-Lapu die for Manila? Don’t use the excuse that it is an upbeat and danceable song. We invented budots. That’s silly.
“We should be inclusive when we want to encourage our countrymen to cheer. Yes, I am negative on it. Why? I am a Filipino but I don’t have one drop of Tagalog blood in me. Pure Vismin (Visayas-Mindanao) by birth and Ilocano by marriage… we can add to that German-American for the glam,” she said in her post.