POC on hosting: Nothing extravagant

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has until the second week of August to formally inform the Southeast Asian Games Council whether or not it is pushing through with the hosting of the biennial event in 2019.

“We have to decide by then,” said POC president Jose Cojuangco yesterday.

The SEA Games Council will meet on Aug. 16 in Kuala Lumpur just days before the formal opening ceremony of the 29th SEA Games in the Malaysian capital.

Cojuangco said the POC has more than two weeks to convince President Duterte that the country can host the event two years from now.

The POC president said all he wants is the chance to sit down with the President so he can enumerate the benefits the country will earn with the hosting.

“Let’s hear it directly from the President, which is the right thing to do,” said Cojuangco a week after Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez announced that the government is no longer interested in hosting the SEA Games in 2019.

Cojuangco reiterated that the government does not have to spend billions of pesos for the hosting, and that it could be done for no more than P400 million.

“Nothing extravagant,” said Cojuangco, who’s even thinking of cutting down on the number of events, focusing on Olympic and Asian Games sports for the 2019 SEAG.

Ramirez said he received an instruction from Malacañang not to pursue the hosting.

“There are things that the President knows and we don’t know or things that he doesn’t know and we know,” added Cojuangco, who’s hoping that the meeting takes place.

Cojuangco is keeping his fingers crossed that Sen. Miguel Zubiri, who was previously appointed as chairman of the 2019 SEA Games organizing committee, could bridge the gap.

“A dialogue – face to face,” said Cojuangco of his request for a meeting with the President.

Earlier, he said the POC can push through with the hosting by tapping the private sector, and can manage by using existing venues in Pampanga, Zambales, Bulacan and Davao.

“We have to decide,” said Cojuangco.