SEA Games prep suffers a snag
THE slashing of the P7.5 billion budget for the country’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games can cause a snag in the preparation for the 30th edition of the biennial meet among athletes representing the 11-nation conclave.
The Senate early this week, had cut the proposed P7.5 billion funding requirements by 33 percent reducing it to mere P5-billion leaving the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) in quandary as to how to remedy the situation.
Coming at a time when infrastructure requirements on venues have been almost completed, the cutting of the budget, indeed, posed a big problem to the PHISGOC members in-charge of building new competition sites or refurnishing the existing ones.
According to PHISGOC chair, former Foreign Affairs secretary Alan Cayetano, the Senate’s decision came at a time when his committee had already an idea how it could work within a budget of P6.5 billion o make the hosting successful.
“But, definitely, not P5 billion,” Cayetano, himself an ex-senator, was quoted by media men during the presentation of the official SEA Games partners on Wednesday.
Tom Carrasco, PHISGOC executive director, intimated that several sports assigned in venues still being constructed at the Clark New City and the old Clark Global City will have to be transferred to the aging Rizal Sports Complex in Manila and the ULTRA in Pasig City.
“The move, when implemented, can save jus P2 million,” Carrasco assured.
“The World Trade Center, which is to be shared by fencing and wushu, come competition days, will have to accommodate, too, other sports for an estimated P4 million savings, “he added.
“Competitions in wushu last for only three days to five days, anyway, depending on the number of competitors, so, maybe we can transfer the wrestling and sambo competitions there as well,” Carrasco suggested.
Wrestling and sambo were originally slated to be contested at the AUF Auditorium in Clark. Carrasco clarified, though, that these were all tentative measures subject to further studies.” We’re still in the process of collating all suggestions we can get and study them thoroughly.”
“Remember, we are hosting the biggest ever SEA Games in the history of the biennial meet with 56 sports and 523 events to be disputed,” Carrasco surmised.
Cayetano, who is running for representative in his hometown Taguig City in the coming mid-term May polls, agreed, saying, the PHISGOC has to raise the remaining P1.5 billion in the proposed appropriation.
However, he added that this time of the year, the big corporations have usually used up their budget for the entire year, including the extent of their participation in sports activities, including the SEA Games hosting.
“What used to be a hill that PHISGOC had to climb is now a mountain,” Cayetano said.